Medieval Life 105 Christmas Celebrations in the Middle Ages
Christmas in Medieval Times
Winter was the season from Michaelmas (Sept 29th) to Christmas when wheat and rye were sown.
The dreary fortnight from Christmas Eve to Epiphany or Twelfth Day (January 6th) when the fields were bound with frost was the longest holiday of the year. Christmas Day was primarily a ‘Holy’ Day in Medieval times. Three masses were, in fact, celebrated on Christmas day – the most important at midnight, because, according to the Romans, this was when Christ was born; the second at dawn and the third during the day.
Christmas Day
At Christmas, the people would decorate their homes and churches with ivy, bright-red holly (holme) berries or anything green. The practice of decking the house with evergreens originally began in the Roman festival of Saturnalia. During the festival temples were decorated with evergreens, the symbol of eternal life. The decorations would remain up until the eve of Candlemass (Feb 2nd).
They baked breads and pies for the feast on Christmas Day and spent their holiday singing carols, acting in plays and playing games. A large mince pie was always baked. They were filled with all sorts of shredded meat along with spices and fruit.
Wassail was the traditional Christmas drink and its name came from the words ‘Was Haile’ which was Saxon for ‘Your Health’. It was a mixture of roast apples, sugar, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
A giant section of a tree trunk, which filled the hearth, was brought in on Christmas Eve. This Yule Log was kept burning throughout the twelve nights. The Lords of the Manors would prepare Christmas Dinners for his tenants with the food they had given him.
Many Christmas feasts would take place in the manor hall. The barons and king would entertain their knights and household with a feast and with gifts of ‘robes’ (outfits comprising of tunic, surcoat and mantle) and jewels.
They played the ‘ancient Christmas Game” which may have been a version of “King of the bean” in which a bean was hidden in a cake or loaf and the person who found it became “King of the Feast”.
All over Europe the 12 days of Christmas brought the appearance of the mummers, bands of masked pantomimists who paraded the streets and visited houses to dance and dice.
Mystery plays were also performed in which the story of Christ was told. King Herod would be in a mystery play and he would be the equivalent of a ‘baddie’ in a modern pantomime.
Some lords did give their servants gifts for Christmas. The gift-giving of the season was represented by the New Year Gift, which continued a tradition of Roman origin. They usually did not have to work from Christmas Day until Epiphany, which was twelve days later. The Christmas celebration was not over in a day, but continued until 6 January (the Egyptian winter solstice), the Feast of the Epiphany on the 12th day after Christmas Day.
December 28th
On the eve of St. Nicholas’ Day (December 6th), the cathedrals chose ‘boy bishops’ who presided over services of the Feast of the Holy Innocents (December 28th) assisted by schoolboys and choirboys. This day was also seen by many as a day of bad luck. No one would get married on that day or start building on that day.
January 1st
During the festive Christmas time (Jan 1), the Medieval Christmas celebrates the “Feast of Fools”. A ‘bishop’ was chosen and dressed up in mock vestments. He led everyone in the church and recited services in gibberish. Others would play dice on the altar, as gambling was a favourite medieval pastime. Priests and clerks wore masks at Mass. They would sing wanton songs and ate sausages before the altar.
The Monday after Epiphany was called Plough Monday, and it was then that ploughing began. In some villages, this day was celebrated by the women as Rock (distaff) Monday.
February 2nd
Many carried the celebrations through to forty days after Christmas, to February 2nd, which was the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin called “Candlemas”. In one of the most elaborate processions of the year, the parishioners would come to Mass with a penny and a candle, which was blessed before the procession. The candles and pennies were offered to the priest. Some candles were blessed and taken away to be used for giving comfort and light for times of trial. Candlemas closed off the long season that had commenced with the Advent (Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas between November 27 and December 3).
Saint Nicholas
The expected span of a human life in medieval times was short. It has been calculated that in the middle ages one baby in three died before the age of five. Saint Nicholas became the great protector of infancy. He would battle and win against demonic infanticide. St. Nicholas was a very popular medieval saint, and his feast day came in Advent (6 December), but he did not play his part in Christmas as Santa Claus until after the Reformation.
During the middle Ages, children were sometimes kidnapped to obtain a ransom from their relatives. The future of many of these children was often to be sold as slaves. The parents of these children turned to solace to paintings of the miracles of Saint Nicholas (In Italian San Nicola). They directed their prayers to him in the hope that he might intervene for them as well.
To learn more about St. Nicholas visit
http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=235
Your humble Scribe,
Lady Sharon
Knights of the Pain Table
Read Medieval Life 101 – Christians and the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages – Part 1
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