Lecture on St. Nicholas Dec. 18
This December, Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site in downtown Yonkers, a building dating from the 1680s, will present Holiday Tours and Candlelight Tours. The tours will be conducted by the staff of the Manor Hall, the oldest standing building in Westchester County. The daytime Holiday Tour or evening Candlelight Tour will present some of the history of the Manor Hall as well as early holiday traditions celebrated by Dutch settlers through the Hudson Valley.
Visitors will hear about the myths and history of St. Nicholas and the celebration that started in his name, the simple Dutch celebration of Christmas Day and how the holiday was expanded by the English to include gift-giving and decoration, and how Dutch and English settlers celebrated the end of the Christmas season with “12th Night” on Jan. 6.
Holiday Tours will take place Dec. 9, 11, 13 and 17 at noon and 3 p.m. Candlelight Tours will be on Dec. 19, 20, and 23 at 7 p.m. Prices are $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and free for children 12 and under.
In addition, the site will hold the lecture “Joyful Traditions” by food historian Peter G. Rose on 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18, in the Gothic Chamber. The lecture is free and open to the general public and will focus on the life of St. Nicholas. For information about “Joyful Traditions,” contact Richard Donegan at 914-232-5651, ext. 103, or [email protected].
Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site is located at 29 Warburton Ave. in Yonkers; parking is in the adjacent municipal lot at 45 Warburton Ave. For additional information about Philipse Manor Hall, visit nysparks.com.
