Christmas

Festival Location: All Areas, Worldwide

Festival Type(s): Christmas Celebrations, Religious Events, Medieval Fairs

A Medieval Christmas

By: © Viola Ashford 2009

"Let those who have no light in themselves light candles!" thundered the great Roman Tertullian. "Let those over whom Hell fire is hanging, fix to their doors laurels doomed presently to burn. You are the light of the world, you are the tree ever green...make not your own house a temple." Like the Puritans in later centuries, Tertullian urged the people to stop their so-called 'pagan' festivities at Christmas time.

This proved impossible, however. Christmas was originally a pagan festival, adopted by the Christians. Many ancient peoples celebrated the Mid-Winter solstice, including the Mesopatamians, who 2000 years before Christ's birth held a 12 day festival for the New Year with plays, processions and merry-making; the Romans who honoured Saturn, the god of agriculture by decking their halls, keeping their lamps burning, and holding holidays, and the Scandinavians who burnt the Yule log, sang and recited poetry in honour of their Gods Odin and Thor.

As converts to Christianity in Europe would not give up these practices, St.Gregory, four centuries after Tertullian, sanctioned their festivities, saying that: "For it is doubtless impossible from men being so rooted in evil customs to cut off all their abuses upon the sudden."

Although the Victorians revived Christmas, and some Christmas customs, such as the sending of Christmas cards date from Victorian times, they did not invent it. Carol singing, the lighting of candles, the giving of presents and decorating houses with evergreens are all ancient customs. Even Father Christmas is a character who dates from medieval times.

In medieval England Christmas lasted for twelve days, from December 25 to January 6, the date of the celebration of the Epiphany. Originally Christmas was celebrated on January 6 when presents were given in honour of St.Nicholas. Some Eastern Europeans still celebrate Christmas on this date.

It was a time of merriment, feasting and general festivity, but still primarily a 'holy' day, not the commercial nightmare it has become today. 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.

The practice of decking the house with evergreens originally began in the Roman festival of Saturnalia when temples were decorated with evergreens, the symbol of eternal life. Ivy, cypress, ilex, laurel, roemary, bay and box were all popular. According to Laurence Whistler in his book The English Festivals: "...As Stow observed, the Elizabethan Londoner embellished his house and church with 'whatsoever the Season afforded to be green'. Holly was an especial favourite, because the leaves represent Jesus' Crown of thorns and the berries symbolise the drops of blood on his forehead."

Mistletoe was, and still is, frowned on by churches, however. This is because it was considered a sacred plant with miraculous properties by the Druids. Whistler calls it the 'Golden Bough under which all enemies reconciled.'. It was often hung inside the house, but seldom seen in churches.

There was even a version of the Christmas Tree in medieval England although the custom did originate in Germany. This was called the Kissing Bough or the Kissing Bunch, according to Whistler: "...it hung from the ceiling in a luminous crown: a hemisphere of evergreens marked with a ring of candles above, and with a ring of bright red apples below, curiously hinting at fulfilment in the hour of promise."

Feasting was, however, the highlight of the medieval Christmas. The main dish was not roast turkey, which became popular later, but a great boar's head garnished with rosemary and bay and brought out with its mouth propped open on an apple or an orange. Roasted swans, peacocks, bustards and goose were also popular. Goose was eaten by middle-class and poorer fanmilies. Mince pies and plum porridge, the early version of plum pudding, were favourite deserts.

The wassail, a mixture of roast apples, sugar, nutmegs, cloves and ginger, was the traditional Christmas drink. Its name came from the words 'Was Haile' - Saxon for 'Your Health', still a popular toast.

Carols were revived in the nineteenth century and were once dances. The word 'carol' originally meant 'a ring-dance with song'. Often the ring dance would be performed around the crib in church. The first Christmas carols were written in Latin in the fifth century and were very solemn. Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals, introduced the joyful spirit of the carol in the thirteenth century. In the middle ages young people would often perform the 'Star' carols: they pretended to be the Wise Men and carried a pole with the Star of Bethlehem from house to house singing.

Mumming, i.e. dressing up, dancing and performing a play at various houses in return for a gift, and miracle plays, based on the Bible and acted by members of the Craft Guild in the town or village square were also popular entertainments.

Christmas in medieval times was indeed a time of joy and merriment. Few people in those days would have agreed with J.B.Priestley, who wrote: "Something in me resists the calendar expectation of happiness. Merry Christmas yourself! it mutters as it shapes a ghostly grin."

by Viola Ashford