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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Christmas in Medieval Times by Dana D’Angelo


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:

Dana D'Angelo said...

It's great to be here today. Thanks for having me, Eliza!

Lana Williams said...

Great post, Dana! I look forward to reading your story!

Dana D'Angelo said...

Thanks for your comment, Lana! I hope you enjoy the story!

http://ellaquinnauthor.wordpress.com said...

Loved the post and your blurb.

Dana D'Angelo said...

Thanks! So appreciate your comments, Ella.

Alexa said...

Thanks for sharing that information. Your story sounds great!

Dana D'Angelo said...

Thanks for dropping by and for the lovely compliment, Alexa!

Laura said...

Hi, Dana,

What a fun and informative post. Thank you!

Dana D'Angelo said...

I'm glad you found the article interesting, Laura. Thanks so much for dropping by and commenting!

Callie said...

I enjoyed your post. Very interesting to learn some of the history of Christmas. Best of luck with your Christmas novella. It sounds great.

Dana D'Angelo said...

Thanks for reading and for your comments. Best of luck with your release also :)

Ally Broadfield said...

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.

Dana D'Angelo said...

Thanks so much for your comments and well wishes, Ally! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed the post :)

Barbara Bettis said...

Enjoyed the post, Dana, and the taste you gave us of your novella. I'm putting in my TBR list. Good Luck!

Kate Dolan said...

I enjoyed reading about how the traditions evolved in the Middle Ages - thank you. The mince pie symbolism was especially interesting.