Mischief and Merrymaking: A Medieval Christmas (ep 32)

Unlike today, Medieval Christmas decorations did not start going up mid-October! In fact, because of Advent, the 40 days before Christmas were pretty bleak. Once noon passed on December 24, decorating homes and churches could begin. Family members wrapped up warmly and headed outside to gather the holly bows, ivy, red berries, pine branches and cones, and other greenery they would use to decorate their homes.

There weren’t Christmas trees in homes in Medieval England. Instead, the center of the decorations was often a double ring of mistletoe that was hung in a prominent location. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe was common in this time, and often the kissing couple of pluck one of the red berries each time they shared a kiss. Again, we see remnants of pagan and other beliefs. The Celtic druids believed holly warded off evil spirits. Romans and others believed mistletoe would encourage fertility, protect crops, and keep witches away. 

Another Christmas tradition is the Yule log. The family would drag a large piece of tree trunk into the house and light it on Christmas Eve, using a piece of the Yule log from the year before. To ensure good luck and better fortune in the coming year, it was important to keep the log burning throughout the holiday season. It was allowed to go out after Epiphany, and a portion was kept to light next year’s log.

Most people had eaten sparsely and fasted during Advent, so they looked forward to Christmas feasting. For all levels of society, Christmas food usually represented better fare than the usual. Laborers, farm workers, and the like often treated themselves to meat at Christmas—usually boiled. This was often the only time of year they ate meat. Sometimes, the lord of the manor would feast on venison and then offer the leftover bits and entrails to his workers. These bits, called umbles, were often baked into a pie. An umble pie. That’s right—the beginning of humble pie. In addition to meat, workers and peasants might treat themselves to cheese and eggs and even a cake.

Members of the aristocracy dined so well during the rest of the year that they had to go all out to make Christmas feasts something special. And they did! Decorated with seasonal greenery and spices, the Great Hall was the setting for the grandest meals. The Christmas feast was several courses, often hailed by trumpets or other music as it was carried in. The higher levels of aristocracy were entitled to more variety of food and more courses. The king, of course, had the best of everything. His holiday meals would go on for hours, with various courses introduced with musical numbers and other performances.

Waes Hael!

History shows us what's possible.