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What was the Old Snap Dragon?

December 24, 2003

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Robert Chambers theorized that perhaps this odd game dated back to Druidic fire worship. The 1889 Century Unabridged Dictionary called it a "sport". The game was played after dark. It was the Dragon that visited on the vigil of Christmas (December 24^th). And it is proof that people have always had some very brainless traditions for no recollected reason.

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Raisins or other dried fruits were placed in a very large, shallow bowl. Brandy was poured over the dried fruit. When all lights had been extinguished, the brandy was lit. The flickering blue flames cast eerie shadows.

The party-goers chanted to this tradition, "Here he comes with flaming bowl, Don't he mean to take his toll. Snip! Snap! Dragon! Take care you don't take too much, Be not greedy in your clutch. Snip! Snap! Dragon! With his blue and lapping tongue, Many of you will be stung. Snip! Snap! Dragon! For he snaps at all that comes, Snatching at his feast of plums! Snip! Snap! Dragon!"
(Chambers's Book of Days, A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities, Robert Chambers, 1879, J.B. Lippincott and Co.)

Each attendee had to quickly reach into the flames and 'snap' some raisins from the flames. The hot fruit was popped into the mouth. One assumes this happened at the refrain.

The entire point of this tradition was a sophomoric devilish humor. Sir Richard Steele's The Tatler magazine (early 1700s) mentioned that "The wantonness of the thing was to see each other look like a demon, as we burnt ourselves, and snatched out the fruit." (As cited by the Century Unabridged Dictionary, 1889).

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