Today I'd like to welcome guest author, Dana D'Angelo to History Undressed! She's got a special medieval Christmas treat for us :)
Christmas in Medieval Times by Dana D’Angelo
The term “Christes Maesse” was first introduced in a Saxon
book in 1038 AD.
One source I found claimed that Christmas gradually became
popular by a succession of rulers such as Charlemagne (800 AD), Edmund the
Martyr (855 AD), and William I of England (1066 AD) who chose
Christmas Day to become crowned.
Another source suggested that the Church didn’t have a fixed
date for Christmas Day until the 4th century. And they chose
December 25th in an attempt to superimpose on a pagan holiday that
fell on the same date.
But whatever the case may be, there is no denying that the
Druid or pagan traditions integrated with the Christian ones to form new ideas
about celebrating and feasting during the holidays.
Over a twelve day span, the merging of these two customs
allowed people to indulge in food and “misrule” (drunkenness, promiscuity and
gambling), which was a large part of the pagan celebrations. At the same time,
these same people were able to commemorate the birth of Christ and their own
salvation.
By the time the High Middle Ages rolled around, Christmas
became so wide spread that that writers of the time noted how influential
people celebrated the holiday. In 1377 AD, for instance, King Richard II of England hosted
a Christmas banquet that served twenty-eight oxen and three hundred sheep!
In terms of gift giving, this act was usually done between
people with a legal relationship such as a tenant and landlord. While it was
customary for noblemen to give tenants and workers time off to celebrate the
“holy days”, it wasn’t customary for them to give gifts. However if a landlord
decided to show his generosity, he may have offered coins to servants and
apprentices, or treated the poor to a supper in the great hall.
However whether the people were poor or wealthy, they
appreciated the holiday fare. Throughout the year, they were constantly hungry
and the holidays were the only times that they could indulge in food.
Some popular foods and drinks the people enjoyed were:
- Wassail – A powerful, hot drink that was made from a mixture of ale, honey and spices. The host served the drink from a large bowl. With friends present, he would cheerfully call out “waes hael” or “be well.” The friends, meanwhile, would reply with “drink hael” or “drink and be well.”
- Baked Mince Pie – Minced pie was baked in an oblong shape to symbolize the crib that Jesus slept in. It consisted of shredded meat, fruit, and three spices (cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) to represent the three gifts offered to Christ from the Magi. The people held a belief that a wish made on the first bite of the pie caused the wish to come true. However if a person refused that important first bite during Christmas, bad luck would follow him in the new year.
- Pudding or Frumenty - Essentially a spicy porridge made from boiled wheat, currants, dried fruit, yolks and spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg. The mixture was cooled and then allowed to set before it was served.
- Golden Roasts - In noble homes, the cooks strived for artistry in their culinary creations. For example, to make a roasted peacock look visually appealing, they would add butter and saffron to paint the meat in a golden hue. When the peacock was finished cooking, they often redressed the gilded bird in its old skin and feathers.
- Boar’s Head - A boar’s head, with an apple or an orange in its mouth, was placed at the trestle table during an extravagant banquet. This rosemary and bay scented center piece was considered a noble dish and eagerly enjoyed by dinner guests.
All in all, the history of Christmas during the Middle Ages
was an interesting one. While it seemed that new traditions emerged, they were
in fact heavily grounded by the old ones.
The Promise - A
Medieval Christmas Novella
Sir Gavin the Bold appears one winter evening demanding
payment for saving the life of Baron Clifton de Leraye. The knight claims that
he is entitled to marry one of the lord’s three daughters.
Except the claim is called into question.
With the family’s honor at stake, and her sisters’ futures
on the line, Lady Estella de Leraye does all she can to protect what little
integrity the family has left, even if that means agreeing to marry the dark
stranger.
As she struggles to come to terms with her plight, she finds
it equally difficult to fight her growing attraction to the handsome knight.
But will his charm and allure prepare her for the secret she will soon
discover?
Note: This medieval
Christmas romance novella is approximately 29,000 words or about 80 print
pages. Although the story has romantic elements, it does not contain explicit
love scenes.
15 comments:
It's great to be here today. Thanks for having me, Eliza!
Great post, Dana! I look forward to reading your story!
Thanks for your comment, Lana! I hope you enjoy the story!
Loved the post and your blurb.
Thanks! So appreciate your comments, Ella.
Thanks for sharing that information. Your story sounds great!
Thanks for dropping by and for the lovely compliment, Alexa!
Hi, Dana,
What a fun and informative post. Thank you!
I'm glad you found the article interesting, Laura. Thanks so much for dropping by and commenting!
I enjoyed your post. Very interesting to learn some of the history of Christmas. Best of luck with your Christmas novella. It sounds great.
Thanks for reading and for your comments. Best of luck with your release also :)
I enjoyed your post, especially the part listing the food. The next time I'm confronted by a mince pie, I'll be sure to take that first bite. Best of luck with your Christmas novella. I loved the description and have added it to my TBR list.
Thanks so much for your comments and well wishes, Ally! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the post :)
Enjoyed the post, Dana, and the taste you gave us of your novella. I'm putting in my TBR list. Good Luck!
I enjoyed reading about how the traditions evolved in the Middle Ages - thank you. The mince pie symbolism was especially interesting.
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