Christmas was a very different occurrence in the middle ages, compared to what it is today. History has shaped how we celebrate Christmas. It has also seen which traditions we have kept, gained and lost throughout history.
Our modern Christmas has only been present in recent history. You can learn about how modern Christmas was created in recent history by the Victorians, in this blog. Christmas in the middle ages was very different to what it is today. There were no glowing electric lights, no Santa Clause, no Christmas Cracker, Christmas cards or even Christmas turkey. It was only with the Victorians did people start eating turkey at Christmas. The medieval Christmas feast was quite different. The medieval Christmas feast was different for poor people in the medieval era and rich people in the medieval era. Poor people in the medieval era weren't allowed to eat the meats that rich people could eat. Whereas, for rich people in the medieval era, they would eat meats such as goose or venison.
Another common food in the medieval era was eating mince pies. Eating mince pies were not what you eat today. In medieval times, people ate mince pies with real meat, along with fruit.
For the poor in medieval times, they would eat what was know as umble pie, which translates into humble pie today. The typical medieval Christmas feast was different for both poor people and rich people, compared to what it is today. Christmas was much more of a religious holiday in this historical era. Things such as mass, carols and going to mass, were the main celebrations. Even at that, Christmas wasn't nearly as important as it is today. It was the Epiphany on the 6th of January, which was the main celebration. This changed later on in the medieval when Christmas became the main celebration. Medieval Christmas decorations were quite limited, to what they were in later historical eras. Medieval Christmas decorations were simple, such as holly, evergreens and placing apples on trees - the latter be outside. It wasn't until the Victorian era that indoor Christmas trees became a part of our celebrations. In many ways, if we travelled back in time to this historical era, the middle ages at Christmas time, we'd probably not really realise it was Christmas. Sources: http://www.historyextra.com/feature/medieval/medieval-christmas-how-was-it-celebrated http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/A-Medieval-Christmas/
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There was also a difference between the North of England and the South of the UK when it came to poverty and Christmas. The South was and still is, more affluent than the North. This difference was apparent those in the North and South celebrated Christmas. However, poorer areas in the South, such as the East End of London, were more like the North, in terms of poverty and the way that they celebrated Christmas.
For poorer Victorians, it was customary for them to eat things such as rabbit or beef. Whereas, for richer Victorians, they ate things such as swan, pheasant and turkey. It was the Victorians who made turkey a popular dish at Christmas. So, it became more common for both poorer and richer Victorians to eat one food at Christmas - turkey. It wasn't until the end of the Victorian era, that most people were eating turkey. With that gap being closed, in terms of there not being a difference in the main course for Christmas dinner - turkey. In Scotland, Christmas wasn't the main festive celebration, like it was in England. Scotland performed to make Hogmanay the main festive holiday. It was only really at the turn of the century, some years after Queen Victoria's reign, that Christmas became the main holiday in Scotland. With Hogmanay being pushed to second. However, even today, Hogmanay is still a big event in Scotland. Many poor people in the Victorian era, spent their Christmas in the workhouse. This was a place where those who didn't have a home usually lived and worked. The workhouse wasn't a place which was mandatory, people could come and go if they pleased. However, the alternative for people, was to live on the streets. So, they didn't really have much of a choice. The poor living in the workhouse, received a meal of either beef or mutton, with alcohol, cheese and pudding gave to people. However, not all workhouses did this. For many workhouses, the day wasn't given off, it wasn't a special holiday for people and Christmas was virtually non-existent. These things were particularly true in the early Victorian era. The workhouse would be decorated with Christmas decorations. And, the families of those in the workhouse, could visit their relatives every Boxing Day. The Christmas spent in the workhouse, was vastly different from those outside of the workhouse, especially compared to the wealthy. Poorer Victorians couldn't afford Christmas cards when they were first created. The Christmas card was something for richer Victorians, in the early Victorian era. But, as time went on, more and more people could afford Christmas cards. Poor people would also get money and gifts from their employers on Boxing Day. The idea of gift giving was started with the Victorians. Eventually, it was a custom where everyone gave gifts to one another and not just the wealthy. Poorer Victorians would also leave out Christmas stockings for children. These Christmas stockings included things such as; oranges, nuts and apples. It wasn't something that they did until the late Victorian era though. The work of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, was influential in creating a more altruistic Christmas. Were gifts were given, especially from the rich to the poorer, where the poor were given time off work and where there was more of a celebration surrounding Christmas. Before that, none of this happened. Therefore, Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, helped shape the Christmas that we see today. Sources: http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/A-Victorian-Christmas/ http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Christmas/
In this last blog, we looked at 8 reasons why the Victorians shaped modern Christmas. In this one, we will look at how Christmas was celebrated during the Tudor era.
Christmas was pretty different before the Victorians came along. In some ways, we wouldn't recognize the Christmas that was celebrated before the Victorians. While in other ways, we would recognize some of the things surrounding Tudor Christmas celebrations. Let's therefore, take a look at how the Tudors celebrated Christmas. #Food Like Christmas today, Christmas food was a big part of the Tudor Christmas celebrations. Unlike today though, Tudor Christmas food was somewhat different to ours today. There were many foods at Christmas that the Tudors ate, that we today do not. Such as eating real meats within mince pies. They also ate things such as pies with different kinds of meats and fruitcakes at Christmas. What was different in the Tudor era, is that feasts at Christmas were usually something that only the wealthy could afford. Whereas today, most of us have some sort of feast at Christmas. What you wouldn't recognize about the Tudors eating habits is this, during Christmas Eve, Tudors were not allowed to eat specific meals, such as meats, eggs and cheese. On Christmas Day, however, the Tudors could eat anything they wanted and it was the peak of the Christmas feasting season. However, their main meal at the feast would have been different from what we ate today. For most Tudors at Christmas time, they could not afford the luxurious foods that the wealthiest dined on. That was foods such as goose, peacock and eventually turkey. The first record of turkey being eaten anywhere in the British Isles, was with Henry VIII, in 1923. Before that, it was usually goose, swan or peacock that the rich ate for Christmas dinner. Eating turkey didn't really take off under Henry VIII, it was the Victorians who made eating turkey a popular dish at Christmas. When Henry VIII died, it was his two daughters who ascended the throne. First, it was Mary I and then it was Elizabeth I. It was Elizabeth I who introduced people eating goose again - she ordered that people eat goose again at Christmas. Goose was the most popular dish during Christmas Day, all the way up to the Victorian era.
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#Decorations
Decorations were very different in the Tudor era. Although Christmas trees were present and part of Christmas celebrations in Germany at this time, they were not part of the Tudor celebrations. The Tudor decorations were very different and to a large extent, underwhelming and minimalistic, compared to what they are today. The decorations centred around evergreens, holly and wreaths. You could say that their decorations were largely natural and nature-based. #The Yule Log We are all familiar with yule logs at Christmas, what would be strange to us, is the customs and celebrations of the yule log at Christmas during the Tudor era. The yule log was something that was decorated at Christmas time. It was brought into the house, decorated, usually with ribbons, and then it would be burned in the fireplace. It would burn in the fireplace throughout the 12 days of Christmas. #The Twelve Days of Christmas The twelve days of Christmas is not something that is celebrated in the modern world. Today, Christmas is usually celebrated on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Then, New Year's Eve and New Years Day are celebrated, both of which are part of the festive celebrations. Making our celebrations a total of five days.
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In the Tudor era though, it was very different. The Christmas celebrations would go on for a total of 12 days. During those 12 days, work would cease to exist, so poor people could get time off work to go and see their family and celebrate Christmas.
#Things That Were Missing There were many things that were missing from Tudor Christmas celebrations because they had not been invented yet. Things such as Christmas cards, Christmas crackers, Christmas trees and most decorations were not part of the Tudor Christmas, as they had not been invented yet. In some ways, the celebrations surrounding Christmas were very different during the Tudor era, while, in other ways, they were pretty much the same. For the richest people in society, it would have been a time for great feasting and exchanging gifts. The Tudors did not exchange gifts during Christmas Day though, they exchanged gifts during New Years Day. For the poorest in society, it was a time to get off time at work and spend that time with their family. It's less documented how the poorest Tudors celebrated Christmas, and no doubt, it was less extravagant than their rich counterparts. However, one thing that would have been common amongst both rich and poor, was that Christmas was much more a religious festival than it is today. The holiday was centred around going to mass and celebrating the birth of Jesus. It was a much more prominent feature of the celebrations that we see today. Sources: https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/resources/tudor-life/tudor-christmas/ https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/medieval-renaissance/on-the-12th-day-of-christmas-my-tudor-love-brought-to-me/ https://www.tudorsociety.com/tudor-christmas-food-by-sarah-bryson/ http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/tudor-england/tudor-christmas/ The Christmas that we celebrate and know today, is not the Christmas that we, in the UK, have always celebrated. Many of our Christmas traditions, activities and celebrations, are largely new. They came about or were made popular by, the Victorians. It is the Victorians that created the Christmas that we know and celebrate today. So, here are several reasons why the Victorians created the Christmas we celebrate today. #8 Christmas Cards
People didn't always send Christmas cards to each other, it is a relatively new custom. It wasn't until the late Victorian Era until giving Christmas cards really kicked off. It did so in 1880 when giving Christmas cards became a traditional part of British Christmas, with 11 million Christmas cards being sold.
However, the cards were invented long before that. They were actually invented in 1843 by a man named Henry Cole. Initially, at this time, the cards were so expensive that they could only be afforded by the wealthiest Victorians. It wasn't until almost 40 years later that they became affordable to most British people, which was part of the reason for their success.
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#7 Christmas Crackers The Christmas cracker is another Victorian invention. It actually seems like it would have its roots in the middle ages, with the king's hats, and scroll like feature for the crackers. However, the Christmas cracker was not invented in the middle ages, it was in fact invented in Victorian Britain. The crackers were invented by a man called Tom Smith. He sold sweets as a profession and came up with the idea to put the sweets on the cracker. It then progressed into them putting hats, jokes and creating a banging effect with the cracker. #6 Turkey Today it's becoming more common to see varied dishes served at Christmas, however, it is still the most popular and traditional dish - with thanks to the Victorians. The Victorians made the turkey the main meal at Christmastime. Before that, it was other meats which were used as the main dish. It was meats such as goose that were more traditional amongst Britons at Christmas. Although poorer Victorians could not afford turkey during the festive season, it was really a dish that becomes more widespread and common amongst the general population towards the latter half of the Victorian era and then the beginning of the 20th century. It was usually the wealthiest which would eat turkey.
#5 Carol Singing
Carol singing has actually been a part of British tradition and culture for a long time. The Tudors were famous for their carol singing at Christmas. However, it didn't really become famous until the Victorian era, when carols became a big part of Christmas traditions.
Whatsmore, the Victorians also created new carols. Their first batch of new carols came out in 1833, which perhaps made carol singing modern and relative to the Victorian era. Something that has been carried on since and to this day. #4 Boxing Day
A public bank holiday in the UK and some of the commonwealth countries, Boxing Day has become a traditional part of the Christmas calendar today. Although, today, Boxing Day is quite different from when the Victorians celebrated it. Today it is largely just a holiday which is celebrated with family and friends but isn't as significant as Christmas Day or Christmas Eve today.
However, Boxing Day in the Victorian era was largely a day where the rich gave the working class boxes as a festive present, which is probably where this name comes from, as the gifts were in boxes. This day has its origins in the Victorian era. Which leads to the next one....the giving of gifts... #3 The Giving Of Gifts
The giving of gifts wasn't always on Christmas Day. Today, thanks to the Victorians, we give gifts on Christmas Day. But it wasn't always like this, we didn't always give gifts on Christmas Day. For example, the Tudors didn't exchange gifts on Christmas Day, they exchanged gifts on New Years Day.
The Tudor Christmas was very different from the Christmas we see today, in many ways. Gifts were expected to be quite extravagant in the Tudor Era, however, they were more simple in the Victorian era. In the Victorian era, people exchanged things like fruit and nuts. These would be placed in stockings by poor people, hence the tradition of putting up Christmas stockings. Then it became more common to give gifts to children and for children to receive gifts. #2 Christmas Decorations
Christmas decorations were used prior to the Victorians. However, Christmas decorations were a lot more simplistic. The church in the middle ages would decorate trees with apples, however, trees weren't brought indoors and they weren't used in the same way that they are today. Whereas in the Tudor era, it was more common for people to use things such as holly and garlands.
For most of our history, Christmas decorations haven't played a major role in the festivities, like they do today. And, it is thanks to the Victorians that we use Christmas decorations today. Hanging decorations up and on the ceiling became more popular. Where once decorations centred around simple evergreens, they became more elaborate. Especially when it came to the introduction of the Christmas tree.... #1 The Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree wasn't really used throughout the UK, prior to the Victorian era. There is evidence that trees were used in Christmas celebrations from the middle ages, but it was rare and not really a significant feature of the Christmas celebrations. Most people didn't use Christmas trees, that's until the Victorians used them. It was thanks to Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, that we came to use the Christmas tree.
Prince Albert was from Germany, and in Germany, it was common to celebrate Christmas with a decorated Christmas tree. If it wasn't for Prince Albert marrying Queen Victoria, perhaps we wouldn't be using the Christmas tree at Christmas. Sources: http://www.medievalists.net/2010/12/christmas-in-the-middle-ages/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/victorianchristmas/history.shtml https://victorianchildren.org/victorian-christmas/ http://www.thetudorswiki.com/page/CHRISTMAS+with+The+Tudors This is a list of 10 interesting things which happened at Christmastime, during history. History has had many fascinating and important events surrounding the Yuletide season. Let us start with number one - William the Conqueror. 1. William the Conqueror On Christmas Day in 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned King of England. William the Conqueror was crowned at Wesminster Abbey. He became king after he invaded England, and defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. On the 14th of October, 1066. William is not only known for 1066, but also for his architecture. It was William the Conqueror who gave us many castles and famous landmarks - such as the Tower of London. 2. Christmas is cancelled Oliver Cromwell brought a period of uncertainty to the British Isles when he was military leader. That uncertainty also existed during the festive season. Christmas time during Cromwell's leadership wasn't a very pleasant one. He is associated with banning Christmas . Markets and shops were forced to stay open on Christmas Day. People were prevented from going to Christmas Day mass. And, those who were found with Christmas food, were forced to had it over to authorities. Oliver Cromwell to this day remains a controversial figure. 3. World War I Christmas truce On Christmas Day in 1914, it is believed that a truce came into force between the two opposing sides. It was reported that peace existed for that day, during one of the bloodiest battles in human history. Soldiers left their trenches and went into no man's land. Accounts of them; exchanging gifts, playing football and carol singing have all been reported. By the start of World War I, it was assumed that the war would be over before Christmas. This wasn't to be. Those on the battlefield became aware of this. And therefore, looked for truces. 4. George Washington George Washington and his troops set sail across the Delaware River, on Christmas Day, 1776. The river was icy, so it was a risk. But, a risk which paid off for Washington. It paid off due to his opponents guard being down. Since it was the Christmas season, the attack was surprising. A risk it may have been, but clever. He attacked German soilders known as Hessains. This happened at the end of the Revolutionary War. But, it was a pivotal moment in US history, and world history. For it paved the way towards what we know today as - the United States of America. 5. Soviet Union invades Afghanistan The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on the 24th of December, 1979. A total of 30,000 troops were sent into Afghanistan. The conflict lasted for nine years. From December 1979 until February 1989. And was known as the Soviet-Afghan war. The war was one of the bloodiest in modern history. It is estimated that as many as 2 million people were killed. It was also a failure for the USSR forces. The Soviet-Afghan war was one of the most important turning points in modern history. It was responsible for weaking the USSR. Which eventually collapsed in 1991, just two years after the war ended. And arguably influential in today's wars in the Middle East.
Boxing Day's history can be traced back to the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages on Boxing Day, poor people would recieve gifts. These gifts were given to them by rich people, these gifts would be in boxes. Hence the name 'Boxing Day' was given. The poor would receive piggy banks in these boxes, with money inside. However, Boxing Day would become more prominent by the Victorians. The Victorians, like those from the Middle Ages, gave boxes of gifts on Boxing Day. These boxes were given from the rich, to their poor servants. It became a time when we saw Christmas whittled down to a two day celebration, much like we see today. A celebration which lasts over Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Beforehand, the Victorians, like generations before them, celebrated Christmas over a twelve day period. However, with industrialisation, that tradition became lost - through people moving from the countryside to the cities - which had an effect on how the Victorians celebrated Christmas. Boxing Day is mostly a Christmas holiday in the commonwealth nations. Such as; Australia, Canada and New Zealand. And of course, within the United Kingdom. Through the height of the British Empire, the custom and traditions of Boxing Day and Christmas were adopted in many of the commonwealth nations. Today, Boxing Day is largely about; taking time off work, shopping and sports events. The Tudors were a lively bunch; Christmas was no exception for them. There are some parts of the Tudors Chirstmas that we would recognise to this day. The most obvious thing that we would recognise about the Tudor Christmas is the religious aspect of it. The Tudors treated Christmas as a religious celebration, we still do today to some exctent. It was about celebrating the birth of Jesus. The time of celebrating the nativety. Going to church for the Tudors was a very important part of the Christmas celebrations. People during the Tudor era also had a long holiday, in todays terms. Today we have few days of work, a few days at Christmas, a few days at New Year - if we are lucky. However, for the Tudors, their time off was longer. They had a total of twelve days of from work. This was known as the Twelve Days. The Twelve Days of Christmas largely focused around giving a break to those who worked on the land. During Tudor times, this would have been the majority of people. Although serious feasting was largely reserved for the well-off. Such as royalty and the upper-classes. Those of the lower classes also feasted. We would recognise some of the things which Tudors ate at Christmas. Such as mince pies. However, those who could afford it, dined by eating goose. Even though it was the Victorians who popularized the eating of Turkey at Christmas, it can traced way back to Henry VIII. Henry VIII is the first king we know of who ate turkey on Christmas day. Besides the feasting, carol singing was also a popular part of Christmas celebrtions for the Tudors. Carol singing during the Tudor era, is thought to have been done to spread the story of the nativity. Yule log burning was also popular during the era. On Christmas Eve, Yule logs were wrapped in ribbons. They were then placed on the hearth. And were left to burn for the tweleve days of Christmas. Some of the Tudor celebrations which surrounded Christmas are unfamiliar to us. And some are very familiar to us. The Victorians invented the Christmas that we see today. That doesn't mean that the Victorians invented Christmas. It means that most of our customs and traditions surround Christmas, actually come from the Victorians. In other words, modern Christmas celebrations have Victorian origins. It is thought that Christmas wasn't as big a deal before the Victorian era. For example, Christmas wasn't considered to be a national holiday for business before the Victorians. Before the Victorian era, homes in Britain did not have the decorations that we have today. Especially when it comes to Christmas trees. The Christmas tree is thought to have started in Great Britain by Prince Albert, Queen Victorias husband. The Christmas tree is not the only thing which was started by the Victorians. Another thing which was started by the Victorians was, Christmas cards. The custom of sending Christmas cards was started in 1843, by Sir Henry Cole. Cole, along with his artist friend, John Horsley, designed and sold the first Christmas card in Britain. The purpose was to help ordinary Brits spread goodwill at Christmas. However, at the time, only rich people could affort to buy and sell Christmas cards. It wasn't until 1860 and 1870 that buying and sending Christmas cards became more popular. Largely because it became cheaper to buy and post Christmas cards, and therefore, more people could buy them. It is not only the Christmas card which was invented by the Victorians, the Victorians also invented the Christmas cracker. The Christmas cracker was invented by a sweet shop owner named, Tom Smith, in 1847. Tom Smith Christmas crackers is still a shop today, selling Christmas crackers. The idea behind Tom Smith's Christmas crackers was to sell sweets in a unique, and unsual way. In the later Victorian era, the sweets placed in the Christmas crackers were replaced with; small gifts and paper hats. The kind of things that we would find in Christmas crackers today. Christmas crackers were not the only thing that the Victorians made a focal point of Christmas, they also did the same with Christmas decorations. That's not to say before the Victorians decorations weren't a feature of Christmas celebrations, they were. Beforehand, simple evergreens were used. Synthetic Christmas decorations were started with the Victorians. And it became popular to decorate the home. We can also thank, or curse the Victorians for the comercilization of Christmas. Beforehand, traditional Christmas gifts were actually given at New Year, on New Years day. However, the Victorians moved that to Christmas Day. And the focus became of larger and bigger gifts. One of the last things that the Victorians invented was the Christmas dinner we have today. Before the Victorians, people used to eat things such as beef or goose on Christmas Day. But, the Victorians made turkey the main feast at Christmas Day. To start with, turkey was only available to those who were wealthy. However, as time went on, more and more people could afford turkey at Christmas - it became more accessible. The Christmas that we see today is very much a Victorian invention. The idea that Christmas should be centered around; feasting, the family, gift giving and entertainment all have their Victorian roots.
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