It does not require a great deal of head scratching to work out what happens on this particular Sunday which, this year, falls on Sunday November 27^th. It is the day that Christmas puddings, cakes, and mincemeat are traditionally made so that they can mature in plenty of time for the Christmas feast. Many customs have grown up around this and most families had their own. In our house my grandmother made the puddings and she would gather us all together to take a stir of the mixture, and we were all supposed to make a wish. If a friend or neighbour dropped in, they were also invited to have a stir as well. Granny was a Cumbrian and she had brought many such traditions "down south" when she came to live in Southport.

However, this is not the complete picture. In fact, the expression "Stir Up" comes from the Book of Common Prayer and it refers to a Collect to be used on the Sunday before Advent.

In the 1662 and later editions of the Book of Common Prayer, this Sunday is listed as "The 25^th Sunday after Trinity" and the purpose of the day formed part of the preparation for the season of Advent. Later the Anglican church followed the practice of the Roman Catholic church, both observing the day as Christ the King or The Reign of Christ. The popular name of Stir Up Sunday persisted, however, and came to be associated with the very secular practice of pudding mixing.

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BIBLE SUNDAY

This is an American tradition and is celebrated on the Sunday before Thanksgiving (October 23^rd this year). It was founded by the American Bible Society and its purpose was to focus on the place of the Scriptures in the daily lives of Christians. It is also perceived as a time to support the worldwide distribution of Bibles.