Page 59 - All About History - Issue 72-18

Tudor Christmas

Nine August-September time this year, I saw a whole Christmas
Wassail Bowls department in Fortnum and Mason and I could not believe
it, it was still hot outside!
A much older tradition inherited from
m
the Anglo-Saxons (Wassail comes from The whole concept of Advent for the Tudors, the season
a
the Old English “Wass Hal” meaning of fasting, was to prepare in the run-up to Christmas so
“Your good health”), a large wooden that the day itself had an awful lot more impact, compared
bowl containing hot ale, spiced with to the office parties and all the nice things we do in the
k
apple, sugar and spices, was taken from lead-up today.
door to door. Strangers were offffered
a drink in exchange for a donation, The Tudors had a fasting diet of fish right up to
while royal Wassails were moree formal Christmas Eve, after which they brought in the yule log, lit
and the steaming bowl was broought it, and then attended midnight mass to mark the start of
into court by stewards, before bbeing Christmas – and then you feasted on Christmas Day.
passed around with the King saaved for
last. Commoner or courtier, singing and There is nothing to stop people reviving all these
call-and-response were a big part of the traditions if they want to!
a
Wassail Bowl ritual.
SC: I think it is a shame that synthetic decorations were
g
Kissin
K
Ten
Te n Kissing brought in during the late 19th century with baubles and
K
ghs
Boug tinsel, which first came from Germany.
At first these decorations were expensive but gradually
A wreath o they got cheaper and of course by the 20th century, you
or double-hoop with
roots in ea rlier folklore, the Kissing
s woven from mistletoe,
Bough was even start having fake Christmas trees. It is all synthetic
ash, hazelo and it is a real shame – if you come to Hampton Court at
or willow, covered in
evergreen s and supporting an effigy Christmas we have the cloisters decorated as they would
y Jesus in the centre.
of the bab y have been with evergreens, oranges and cinnamon, the
The Medie val and Early Modern smell is just amazing!
English we re infamously “kissy” and
o
visitors w ould be embraced under For me that is the Tudor Christmas, it is so evocative
the bough as a sign of goodwill, with the smell and the greenery, it is just so beautiful and
leading to thecustomofkissing it is a shame that we use synthetic decorations. I wouldn’t
mistletoee.
under t h mistlet o
under thee
particularly bring back the Lord of Misrule or the Boy
Bishops, they could cause some trouble!

BELOW
The birth of Christ, depicted by
Tudor artist Hans Holbein

Eleven ServantsBBearingGifts

Gift giving in the Tudor court took place on New Year’s Day.
After the King had finished dressing, the fanfare would
d
g
h iin wwith
t
ld
t
ith the
soun dd and servants would march ith ifts, with th
if
Queen’s coming first. To give generously wastocarefully
o
curry favour with the King or Queen, while refusing them
was a brutally effective way of communicating disdain.
m
i
t
l
T
i
V
i
d
TwelveVindictive
Ploughmen
On Plough Monday the twelve days were
officially over and peasants returned to their toil.
Itwascustomary for the communal ploughtobe
blessed and then draggeddoor to doortocollect
funds for the parish. Those who refused to make
a donation had theground outsidetheir door
ploughed up. This was banned under Edward VI.

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