Santa Claus is probably the best form of chimney sweep that exists as he gives our chimneys a regular clean out by squeezing his rotund physique down the flue each year. But have you ever thought why tradition says that he uses the chimney instead of the front door? Feed the flame of your curiosity with the following facts about the traditional trade of chimney sweeping that you may not know!
Why the Chimney?
When the tradition of Santa entering people’s homes emerged, it was thought that winters were too cold to leave doors and windows open for him to enter so, apparently, the chimney was the next best thing. Another side to the story suggests that Saint Nick used to throw coins or gifts through people’s windows, but if the windows were locked, he had to aim for the chimney again. An odd choice, but who are we to question the big guy in red?
A Sweep of Luck
Seeing a chimney sweeper is said to be lucky, particularly if you see one at your wedding. Although it’s a custom that is rarely seen, chimney sweeps are often invited to attend weddings today to ensure a long and happy marriage.
Why the sweepers are thought to bring a stroke of luck isn’t certain, but one notion is that a chimney sweeper once saved King William of Britain in 1066 from a runaway horse and carriage, and as a reward, invited his rescuer to his daughter’s wedding.
Another theory describes how a chimney sweep once fell from a roof and luckily caught his foot on the guttering and got pulled in by a girl from a nearby window and the two were later married.
It’s also lucky to shake the hand of a chimney sweep or to get kissed by one – which is a lyric sung by Dick Van Dyke as Bert in Mary Poppins.
Hot on their Heels
The meaning of the saying, ‘to light a fire under someone’ is reminiscent of the time when child chimney sweeps were used in privileged people’s homes. The use of the phrase today means to motivate or encourage someone to move or work faster, but originally was the practice of lighting a fire under young sweepers who were too scared to climb up the flue. Cruelly lighting a fire beneath them gave them the incentive to crawl a bit faster.
A Poppins Problem
The scene which featured the song ‘Step In Time’ in Mary Poppins, where several chimney sweeps dance on the roofs of London homes had to be filmed twice due to a scratch on the first film. This wouldn’t be so bad if the sequence didn’t take a whole week to film!
Pluck from a Pig
Another instance when chimney sweeps were said to be lucky, was when traditionally, a sweep used to lead a pig around the streets of the town on New Year’s Day. The public would come and pluck a hair from the pig and make a wish after paying a small sum.
So, if you think Santa hasn’t done a good enough job and you need to get your chimney swept in time for the New Year, then Real Flame can arrange to freshen up your flue. Even though we supply gas fires, we also sell solid fuel stoves in London which cause the need for chimney maintenance, so to make any enquiries feel free to contact us at 020 7731 5025 or pay a visit to our Twitter and Facebook pages for updates.
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