A fun topic to search and learn about!
Here is some information about playing it in Victorian times
"...The Victorians surrounded the act of gift giving with a great deal of ingenuity and merriment: simply tearing into a cache of wrapped boxes would have been to miss the point. Far more thought and preparation than that were in order during the holiday season. They had cobweb parties, which was a lot of messy fun. Each family member was assigned a color, then shown to a room crisscrossed with yarn of various colors. Each person was to follow an assigned color through the web of yarn until he or she reached the present tied to the end...."
This web site says it was popular in Colonial Times.
Found by using 100 search engines and the name of the game as search terms.
http://www.colonialsense.com/Society-Lifestyle/Kolonial_Kids/Games/Parlor.php
"...The Cobweb Game: The Cobweb Game reached its greatest popularity at Christmas parties after the Civil War, but it was around long before then. A beautiful spider made of wire and other materials hung from the ceiling. Long pieces of string or ribbon — one for each player — were attached to the spider, then wound around the room in a tangled web. The strings reached under the furniture, through doors, and even up and down stairs! The object of the game was to follow one piece of string from the spider to the end, where a Christmas present was waiting. (The Cobweb Game was the highlight of many Christmas parties. In some homes, the spider and its colorful ribbons were used as the main Christmas decoration, instead of a tree!)..."
here is a site w more info about the legend and Victorian using spiders and cobweb symbols
http://cobwebtreasures.tripod.com/cwxmas.htm
Best wishes, Barbara, retired librarian
-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Walton <
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To: MUSEUM-L <
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Sent: Tue, Nov 6, 2012 8:24 am
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Cobweb yarn game
We do it in a bedroom with our Christmas decorations in an 1840's historic house, I have never been able to find much about it though.
On Tue, Nov 6, 2012 at 9:58 AM, Tori Mason
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Hi List
I have a question for you all. I am looking for information on the origins / history of something called the Cobweb Game, where balls of yarn are tied to a small present and then strung around a room in a cobweb pattern, creating a fun way to find your gift. I'm not having much luck finding out information on when this started, when it was popular (I've seen Victorian, but that's it), if it was for children primarily, Christmas or birthdays, etc. Any helpful information would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance!!
Tori
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Tori Mason
Historic Croft House Manager
Nashville Zoo at Grassmere