Full of festive nostalgia and the odd glass of mulled wine, Echo Memories muses on the childhood traditions of Bishop Auckland and the glories of snowy days past in Darlington's South Park.

ACCORDING to a newly published booklet about the traditions of Bishop Auckland, this is what children once sang in the streets of south Durham.

Like many customs from the days when people made a Christmas chutney out of apples and raisins, and rice cakes to tide them over the festive season, it would seem to have disappeared.

It is not lost, though, because it has been recorded by volunteers from the Bishop Auckland Discovery Centre in their booklet, Customs and Traditions of Bishop Auckland.

The volunteers have also recorded the tradition of the Milly Box. About two centuries ago at this time of year, a Milly Box would have been carried by an old woman from house to house in south Durham. It was a box lined with spices, oranges and sugar, and it contained two figures representing the Virgin Mary and her baby, Jesus.

The old woman would sing her versions of the best-loved carols as she went, presumably collecting money.

Frumenty, as regular readers will know, was served for supper on Christmas Eve. In Darlington, the advent of Christmas was announced by Creed Wheat Sally leaving her home in Prospect Place and walking through the streets shouting "creed wheat".

On her head would be balanced a board with pyramids of creed wheat (wheat that had been soaked or boiled for 12 hours) on it.

Creed wheat was the staple of frumenty. To one pound of wheat was added a pint of milk, four ounces of sultanas, four ounces of raisins and a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon.

It was all then simmered on the grate, with optional extras like cream, sugar, egg yolks or a large tot of rum or a big splash of brandy.

This rich, sloppy stuff was usually served with cheese and Yule cake.

Yule cake was not to be confused with Christmas cake. Yule cake was made of paste and was usually in the shape of a baby Jesus - sometimes he was accompanied by his mother.

The Christmas cake, served with Wensleydale cheese, was usually saved for New Year's Day, and was what we know as a Christmas cake today, with dried fruits, nuts and spices.

In the hearth was the Yule log, which had been dragged from the estate of the local landowner. The last bit of the log was kept to light the next year's log.

Decorations in those days were usually home-made. There was a sprig of mistletoe, and any young lady who had the misfortune not to be kissed beneath it gave up all hope of being married before the next Christmas.

There was also the south Durham "mistletoe", which was made from three wooden hoops taken from a grape or butter barrel. These hoops were placed inside one another to create a ball that was then covered in strips of coloured tissue paper. This paper would have been folded, cut into patterns, blown open and finally turned inside out so that the patterns stood proud of the hoops that made up the ball.

It was a complicated business. It was also fiddly. The tissue paper was attached to the hoops by wool and then baubles were attached to the tissue paper.

The "mistletoe" was hung from a light or in the window. A new one was made each year, with the baubles being carefully packed away in a box of sawdust.

The evenings over Christmas were often occupied by family or community gatherings with people dressing up as characters. One person was always crowned Lord of Misrule to represent the wit and folly of the community.

"Take out, then take in, bad luck will begin;

Take in, then take out, good luck comes about."

THIS old County Durham rhyme should be borne in mind when you are arranging your New Year celebrations because you do not want to bring yourself twelve months of bad luck by taking something out of the house before something has been brought into it.

It was from this superstition that first footing came to be practised. The first foot to come into a house in the New Year should not belong to a female - considered unlucky. It should belong to a tall, dark-haired man who would bring luck.

He should be carrying a "roundy", which was a piece of coal, or some salt or bread or spirits, and he would be invited in to make the first incision in the Christmas cake. In return, he would be given a drink - ideally ginger wine - with some cake and a silver coin.

While all this carousing was going on, someone with eagle-eyes would be watching the fire. The fire had to burn in the grate from one year to the next or woe betide the household.

Even worse, if someone took a light out of the house on New Year's Day a death would occur in the household before the year was out.

In the early 19th Century, after the first footing was complete and before the dawn broke, large gangs of children known as "guisers" would roam the streets of south Durham shouting: "Happy New Year, a happy New Year, please will you give us a New Year's gift?"

They demanded a present from each house they called at, and often would group outside the residence of a well-to-do person in Bishop Auckland Market Place, or in Bondgate, in Darlington. That person would either toss halfpenny pieces into the crowd or cause a scrum by handing out books and pictures.

Amid the over-excited atmosphere, fights were a regular occurrence among the children. At least nowadays it is only the drunken adults who indulge in such New Year's entertainments in the town.

THIS information is taken from Customs and Traditions of Bishop Auckland, a booklet produced by volunteers at the Discovery Centre. Their work has been supported by a grant from the Local Heritage Initiative and by Groundwork West Durham.

The booklet is going to be given to local schools, but copies are available to the public for £1.50. They can be obtained from the Discovery Centre, 29 Market Place, Bishop Auckland. The Centre is next to the Sportsman's Inn and behind the Town Hall.