Pride and Prejudice Day, 28 January 2021
Pride and Prejudice was first published on 28 January 1813. This year, with Christmas behind us and the nation in lockdown, our celebrations will take place online. Drop into our social channels throughout the day to celebrate #PrideandPrejudiceDay and enjoy an explosion of quotes, images, videos and text, as we encourage Jane Austen fans across the world to join in our enthusiasm for all things P&P.
To whet your appetite, here are our Top 10 Ways to celebrate Pride and Prejudice Day 2021!
1. Share your favourite line
On 28 January, we will be sharing short videos of some of our favourite scenes in Pride and Prejudice. We want you to do the same â film yourself reading out your favourite line from the novel and share it with us on social media using the hashtag #PrideandPrejudiceDay. We canât wait to watch them all!
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2. Dress appropriately
âI am very glad to hear what you tell us, of long sleeves.â
Your attire is up to you, of course, but as itâs winter we too are planning to wear long sleeves and plenty of petticoats. If you want to really get to grips with Regency fashions, we canât do better than suggest you curl up with Hilary Davidsonâs beautiful book Dress in the Age of Jane Austen or watch Hilary’s fascinating Austen Wednesdays video.
3. Write a letter
âHow delighted Miss Darcy will be to receive such a letterâ
Staying in touch with friends and family is more important than ever at the moment. On P&P day, why not write your loved one a proper letter and take it to the post box?
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4. Eat soup
âThe soup was fifty times better than what we had at the Lucasesâ last weekâ
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a cold January day calls for a warming bowl of soup. For Regency recipe inspiration, we turn to Martha Lloydâs Household Book in the Museum collection, which gives us a number of recipes, including one for âWhite Soupâ as served at the Netherfield Ball.
5. Go for a walk
âElizabeth continued her walk alone, crossing field after field at a quick pace, jumping over stiles and springing over puddles with impatient activityâ
A brisk walk in the fresh air always helps to lift the spirits, especially if you can find a field and squelch about in the mud. Weâll be following in Lizzieâs footsteps and going for a ramble whatever the weather. Weâd love to see photos of your walks too!
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6. Have a cup of tea
âMiss Bennet was making tea, and Elizabeth pouring out the coffeeâ
There are many, many cups of tea drunk in Pride and Prejudice, and as far as weâre concerned thereâs no better way to honour Jane Austen than by making yourself a delicious cuppa.
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7. Practice an accomplishment
âIt is amazing to me,â said Bingley, âhow young ladies have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are.â
Are you keeping yourself busy with a new hobby this year? Here at Jane Austenâs House we have been baking bread, gardening, playing the piano and hand-stitching Regency dresses (what else!). Mr Darcy would no doubt disagree with us, but as far as weâre concerned anything goes â and weâd love to hear about your modern-day accomplishments!
8. Read a book
âMr. Collins readily assented, and a book was produced; but, on beholding it (for everything announced it to be from a circulating library), he started back, and begging pardon, protested that he never read novelsâ
Well, we know which book weâll be reading on P&P Day! But as far as weâre concerned, any book is a good book and we canât wait to curl up by the fire and get stuck into a novel â and if itâs a library book, all the better!
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9. Play a game
âWhen the gentlemen joined them, and tea was over, the card tables were placed.â
Pride and Prejudice is full of card games. Lydia enjoys a noisy game of Lottery Tickets and Mr Collins proves himself to be typically deficient at Whist. To recreate the Regency card game experience, dig out some tokens to use as betting counters like these beautiful âfishâ tokens in the Museum collection.
10. Go dancing (in your kitchen)
âI have been most highly gratified, my dear sir. Such very superior dancing is not often seen.â
There are balls aplenty in P&P, and we know that Jane Austen herself loved to dance. Although we are sorely missing going out and seeing friends, a solo kitchen disco at the end of the day is the very thing to lift our spirits. Itâs what we like to think the Bennets would have done â can you imagine Lydia surviving lockdown any other way?!