Postage stamp. Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth II. Christmas 1997. 150th Anniversary of the Christmas Cracker. Father Christmas with Traditional Cracke
Christmas crackers are festive table decorations that make a snapping sound when pulled opened, and often contain a small gift and a joke. They are part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries such as Australia (where they are sometimes known as bon-bons), Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. A cracker consists of a segmented cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper with a prize in the middle,[1] making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled apart by two people, each holding an outer chamber, causing the cracker to split unevenly and leaving one person holding the central chamber and prize. The split is accompanied by a mild bang or snapping sound produced by the effect of friction on a shock-sensitive, chemically impregnated card strip (similar to that used in a cap gun). One chemical used for the friction strip is silver fulminate.
Size: 3000px × 2278px
Photo credit: © Stan Pritchard / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 150th, 1997, anniversary, britain, christmas, commemorative, cracker, decoration, decorations, elizabeth, father, festive, gift, great, ii, joke, kingdom, postage, queen, stamp, table, united
