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27 April 2024, the calendar is ended.

(Last window on 25 December 2016)

Merry Christmas from the Tudor family (est 1485)

Window nº 11
This is a great article on medievalists.net about historical Christmas traditions! Go read it! I especially love the trolls in Iceland. Having spent time in Iceland twice, I totally see it!

<a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2012/12/20/seven-medieval-christmas-traditions/">http://www.medievalists.net/2012/12/20/seven-medieval-christmas-traditions/</a>

Window nº 15
Thanks to the Tudor Tattler website for 12 Days of Tudor Feasts, which was published in 2011. Here's a great recipe for minced pies, as well as the history. Read all about it here:
<a href="http://www.thetudortattler.com/2011/12/twelve-days-of-tudor-christmas-feasting.html">http://www.thetudortattler.com/2011/12/twelve-days-of-tudor-christmas-feasting.html</a>

---

"Minced pies were enjoyed by Tudors from the lowliest peasants to the King and his court. Minced pies were made with thirteen ingredients to represent Christ an his apostles. Below is a traditional minced pie recipes. Often times, pies were shaped like a crib (to represent the Christ child) or decorated with a crib or infant child (like the image to the right).

Traditional Tudor Minced Pies
1 cup lamb (minced)
1/2 cup veal (minced)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants
1 orange (both zest and juice)
1/2 lemon (both zest and juice)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup dates
Individual Pie Crusts

Mix ingredients. Cover and let sit overnight. Place filling in Pie Crusts. Place extra crust on top of each pie (you can cut top crust into fun Christmas shapes). Dust with egg yolk. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 mins or until golden brown.

Meat was the main course of any Christmas feast. For peasants, poultry or game would have to suffice. However, for the rich, Swan, Peacock, and a Boar's Head were eaten. The first Christmas Turkey in England dates from the early 1520's, and was served to none other than King Henry VIII himself.

Though expensive, Queen Elizabeth ordered that every household in England should eat goose as part of their Christmas Feast in 1588, as it was the first meal she enjoyed after the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Needless to say, many of the Queen's poorer subjects had to settle for much smaller and less expensive game.

Presentation was extremely important in Tudor England. When meat, such as swan or peacock, was cooked, the skin and feathers were removed, then replaced once the bird had finished roasting, leaving the bird to look as if it had never been cooked!"

Source:
http://www.thetudortattler.com/2011/12/twelve-days-of-tudor-christmas-feasting.html

Window nº 2
<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Auser%3Ahteysko%3Aplaylist%3A2hegeWWNhKSBV5OVQ1u8I1" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe>

Get in the spirit by listening to this great holiday music from the Renaissance on Spotify

Window nº 10
Ever wonder what the history of the Yule Log is? I did! The Yule Log customs were originally started in Northern Europe, and pre-date the medieval period. Yule is the traditional name for the winter solstice festivals in Scandinavia. The Yule Log was a complete tree that was brought into the house in the midst of a big ceremony, and the largest end would be placed in the hearth while the rest of the log stuck out into the room. Then the log would be lit from the remains of the previous year's log, which had been stored. The yule log would burn during the entire 12 days of Christmas. If any is left after Twelfth Night, it is safely stored until next Christmas.

Here's a lovely video - 2 hours of a cozy yule log fireplace with crackling sounds. Grab a hot chocolate and enjoy!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9LssTi4X8jY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 16
Movie Night! Pop some popcorn and tune in this documentary: A Tudor Feast at Christmas. Food and history. Yum Yum!

Playlist is in 4 parts on YouTube. Enjoy!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/azCGi_a4b-k?list=PL846FF4AF3A4DCD92" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 8
More music today! Here's a great playlist on youtube of English Renaissance Christmas music.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZH2rACpO9zs?list=PLLSnm86ifoZjeMepHaSfa7c8gW-sQ6t0g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 20
Another movie! Here's a quick how-to video on how to make a Tudor Christmas decoration!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gOqTlYWY4YM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 25
Perfect music for opening gifts this morning - Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from 2015. Enjoy, and Happy Happy Christmas!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4zjWOSY_xIw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 13
Some of the earliest Christmas carol music we have, for England at least, come from the <strong><em>Trinity Carol Roll</em></strong>, which is named after the college in which it resides (Trinity, in Cambridge) rather than because of any great hymn about the Trinity, or anything like that. A few years ago that Alamire Consort recorded the entire Trinity Carol Roll, so here, have a listen to it before we go on:

<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A5lq2BJXk7GDt7IoOIrm2ab" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Lovely, isn't it?

It's the earliest surviving record of polyphonic carols in the English language. It dates from around 1415, which we can tell by the inclusion of the Agincourt Carol which celebrated Henry V's victory of that same year. Now we associate the word "carol" with a Christmas carol, but really a carol can celebrate anything, including a military victory.

The Trinity Carol Roll is written on vellum that is 2 meters long and 17cm wide, in scrolls, which were cheaper and easier to carry around in the Middle Ages than bound books. But because they didn't have a covering, they were particularly at risk of being damaged. Somehow these 13 carols have survived, and were given to Trinity College in 1838.

Inasmuch as carols didn't have to be about Christmas, most of the ones included in the Trinity Carol Roll are. Six are about the Nativity, 2 about St. Stephen and St. John the Evangelist who have feast days on the 26th and 27th of December respectively, and then three more praise the Virgin Mary, like the ever popular <em>There is No Rose of Such Virtue:</em>

I highly recommend that you add a bit of this 600 year old music to your Christmas playlists this year. It beats "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Really, it does.

<strong>More information:</strong>
The BBC Early Music Show on the Trinity Carol Roll
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pcq9q" target="_blank">http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pcq9q</a>

Window nº 4
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NMGMV-fujUY?list=PL36F3392C222A6A2D" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Some festive carols from King's College Cambridge to add some music to your day

Window nº 7
<img src="http://www.englandcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/elizabethan-christmas1.jpg">

Still working on your decorations? Take inspiration from what John Stow has to say about holly, ivy, laurel and bay leaves decorating the city in his Survey of London:

"Against the feast of Christmas every man's house, as also their parish churches, were decked with holm, ivy, bays, and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green. The conduits and the standards in the streets were likewise garnished. Amongst which I read, that in the year 1444, by tempest of thunder and lightning, on the first of February at night, Paul's steeple was fired, but with great labour quenched, and towards the morning of Candlemas day, at the Leadenhall in Comhill, a standard of tree, being set up in the pavement fast in the ground, nailed full of holm and ivy, for disport of Christmas to the people, etc."

Window nº 18
Get your dancing shoes on! Morris dancing, that is. Morris Dancing dates from the 15th Century in England, was traditionally performed at the Holidays, and is still done at Christmas in many parts of England, as well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and other countries.

Here's a festive dance I found on youtube from Christmas time 2009.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ctYuGYwTqZg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 22
One of the most special cathedrals in England (in my ever-so-humble-opinion) is Winchester Cathedral. It was the setting of Mary Tudor's happiest day when she finally married Phillip II of Spain. Its history goes back to the 7th century when the Anglo Saxons built an early church in Winchester. This tv special, Carols for Christmas Day, is perfect both because of the location, as well as the music.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8_H4Xu_PbiM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 5
Hopefully you can take some time out today and add some festive relaxation to your day, even though it's a Monday. Why not bake some traditional Gyngerbrede, which originated in England in the 15th century? It's not much like gingerbread that we would know, being more of a sticky gooey confection. Learn more about it here:
<a href="http://www.godecookery.com/ginger/ginger.htm">http://www.godecookery.com/ginger/ginger.htm</a>

From the <b>Gode Cookery</b> website (which has the original recipe and a bit of history)
<a href="http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec42.htm">http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec42.htm</a><br>

<b>MODERN RECIPE:</b>

4 cups honey
1 lb. unseasoned bread crumbs
1 tbs. each ginger & cinnamon
1 tsp. ground white pepper
pinch saffron
whole cloves
Bring the honey to a boil and skim off any scum. Keeping the pan over very low heat, stir in the breadcrumbs and spices. When it is a thick, well-blended mass (add more bread crumbs if necessary), remove from heat & let cool slightly, then lay out on a flat surface & press firmly into an evenly shaped square or rectangle, about 3/4 of an inch thick. Let cool, then cut into small squares to serve. Garnish each square by sticking a whole clove in the top center.

(here's a converter for metric/celsius
<a href="http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/equiv.htm">http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/equiv.htm)</a>

Window nº 12
Want a refresher on Christmas celebrations in Tudor England? I did an episode on it almost 6 years ago. Here's a throwback episode from the archives!
<a href="www.hipcast.com/podcast/H6MCR7bQ">www.hipcast.com/podcast/H6MCR7bQ</a>

<iframe width='100%' height='100' src='//www.hipcast.com/podcast/H6MCR7bQ?embed=1' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 9
Ever wonder how to make a traditional Christmas pudding? In this video, English Heritage shows us how.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3anPAb-BoqY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 21
I know many of us will be heading out to midnight mass or midnight communion service in a few days. Myself, I'll be headed to the early kid-friendly service - two years in a row of trying to drag Hannah to the late service just because I love singing Silent Night in the dark at midnight was enough. We'll have to skip that tradition for a few years, I think!

Anyway, historically Christmas was one of only two holidays a year where there were three masses - the other one was Easter.

This comes from medievalists.net:
"To add to the importance of Christmas masses visual images were added, such as displaying a crib in the church to represent the place where Jesus was born. By the early-twelfth century, the liturgy would include dramatic scenes, such as ‘angels’ singing. This would lead to the development of plays, especially in towns, were Bible scenes were dramatized. For example, two ‘Shepherds’ Plays’ from Wakefield, written in the early fifteenth-century, made use of eleven verses of Luke’s Gospel and turned it into fifty pages of elaborate performance. " <a href="http://www.medievalists.net/2010/12/25/christmas-in-the-middle-ages/">(http://www.medievalists.net/2010/12/25/christmas-in-the-middle-ages/)</a>
Here's an example of Minnesota State University Moorhead showing what it would have looked like...

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1azeqLKTQvM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 19
The Festivals of Nine Lessons and Carols is a tradition in the Anglican Church. Here's a youtube that has the audio of the entire service from King's College, Cambridge, from 2013. What a beautiful way to get into the Christmas spirit!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3mDUg8HQIDc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 24
It's getting close to the end of our journey through Advent together! What a blast it's been, finding these little gems and fun bits of holiday goodness. For our final day, a poem.

George Wither was a late Renaissance satirist and poet, and he wrote this Christmas Carol in the early 17th century. It paints a lovely picture of what the holiday would have been like for people four or five hundred years ago. I hope you enjoy reading it.

I hope you're able to have some quiet time tonight and tomorrow to enjoy this special time in peace.

George Wither
A Christmas Carol

So now is come our joyful feast,
Let every man be jolly;
Each room with ivy leaves is dressed,
And every post with holly.
Though some churls at our mirth repine,
Round your foreheads garlands twine,
Drown sorrow in a cup of wine,
And let us all be merry.

Now all our neighbors' chimnies smoke,
And Christmas blocks are burning;
Their ovens they with baked meats choke,
And all their spits are turning.
Without the door let sorrow lie,
And if for cold it hap to die,
We'll bury it in a Christmas pie,
And evermore be merry.

Now every lad is wondrous trim,
And no man minds his labor;
Our lasses have provided them
A bagpipe and a tabor.
Young men and maids, and girls and boys,
Give life to one another's joys;
And you anon shall by their noise
Perceive that they are merry.

Rank misers now do sparing shun,
Their hall of music soundeth;
And dogs thence with whole shoulders run,
So all things aboundeth.
The country-folk themselves advance,
For crowdy-mutton's come out of France;
And Jack shall pipe and Jill shall dance,
And all the town be merry.

Ned Swatch hath fetched his bands from pawn,
And all his best apparel;
Brisk Nell hath bought a ruff of lawn
With droppings of the barrel.
And those that hardly all the year
Had bread to eat or rags to wear,
Will have both clothes and dainty fare,
And all the day be merry.

Now poor men to the justices
With capons make their errands;
And if they hap to fail of these,
They plague them with their warrants.
But now they feed them with good cheer,
And what they want they take in beer,
For Christmas comes but once a year,
And then they shall be merry.

Good farmers in the country nurse
The poor, that else were undone;
Some landlords spend their money worse,
On lust and pride at London.
There the roisters they do play,
Drab and dice their land away,
Which may be ours another day;
And therefore let's be merry.

The client now his suit forbears,
The prisoner's heart is eased;
The debtor drinks away his cares,
And for the time is pleased.
Though others' purses be more fat,
Why should we pine or grieve at that;
Hang sorrow, care will kill a cat,
And therefore let's be merry.

Hark how the wags abroad do call
Each other forth to rambling;
Anon you'll see them in the hall,
For nuts and apples scrambling;
Hark how the roofs with laughters sound,
Anon they'll think the house goes round;
For they the cellar's depths have found,
And there they will be merry.

The wenches with their wassail-bowls
About the streets are singing;
The boys are come to catch the owls,
The wild mare in is bringing.
Our kitchen boy hath broke his box,
And to the dealing of the ox
Our honest neighbors come by flocks,
And here they will be merry.

Now kings and queens poor sheep-cotes have,
And mate with everybody;
The honest now may play the knave,
And wise men play at noddy.
Some youths will now a mumming go,
Some others play at rowland-hoe,
And twenty other gameboys moe;
Because they will be merry.

Then wherefore in these merry days
Should we, I pray, be duller?
No, let us sing some roundelays
To make our mirth the fuller.
And whilst we thus inspired sing,
Let all the streets with echoes ring;
Woods, and hills, and everything
Bear witness we are merry.

Window nº 17
Christmas is a time for all of our senses to be stimulated - sound, through the wonderful ancient carols; smell, with the scents of pine, cinnamon, and other festive fragrances; taste, through the delicious foods; touch, through kisses under the mistletoe and the feel of a warm mug of hot chocolate in our hands; and sight, with the many images of the season on Christmas cards.

The visual arts provide a special way of meditating on the season, and the National Gallery in London has a special exhibit of the Nativities Trail showcasing the Renaissance artwork that tells the Christmas story.

Visit the Gallery and follow the Nativity Trail online by going to their website: <a href="http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/christmas/nativities">http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/christmas/nativities</a> and if you're near London, pop in for a visit and spend some time thinking about how these artists from hundreds of years ago expressed the story of Christmas through their work.

Window nº 14
Have you ever heard of Mummers Plays? A traditional play that dates back to Roman times, Mumming became a huge thing in Medieval England. Traditionally, on St. Thomas' Day (the shortest day of the year) men and women would swap clothes, put on masks, and go around visiting neighbors singing, dancing, or putting on a silly play. The leader of the group dressed up as Father Christmas.

There were different customs of entertainments in different parts of the UK. In the North and West (Durham, Yorkshire and Devon) people also performed a sword dance.

Here's a famous Mumming Poem, which I personally remember as a more modern Christmas song that they sung on my mom's "Christmas on the Ponderosa" with the cast of Bonanza album from the late 70's :)

----
Christmas is coming, the beef is getting fat,
Please drop a penny in the old mans hat.

Over the years, this was changed into a very similar poem that is said by some carol singers today:

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat,
Please put a penny in the old mans hat.

---

Here's a video about a modern-day Mumming group in Ireland that you might enjoy.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XxQ5BcY8feI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Window nº 1
Get in the Christmas Spirit today by watching this video of Hampton Court Palace festivities! And if you need a reminder about why Hampton Court is so special, go back to the Englandcast archives and listen to Episode 19: <a href="http://www.hipcast.com/podcast/H1Lg1QcQ">http://www.hipcast.com/podcast/H1Lg1QcQ</a>

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VMAi2yQ5V3Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Merry Christmas from the #Englancast! Much love!

[Re-start] [ Go to window 25]

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Window nº 25

Perfect music for opening gifts this morning - Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from 2015. Enjoy, and Happy Happy Christmas!

Advientos Windows

Window nº 1 1-12-2016	Get in the Christmas Spirit today by watching this video of Hampton Court Palace festivities! And if you need a reminder about why Hampton Court is so special, go back to the Englandcast archives and listen to Episode 19: http://www.hipcast.com/podcast/H1Lg1QcQ
Window nº 2 2-12-2016	Get in the spirit by listening to this great holiday music from the Renaissance on Spotify
Window nº 3 3-12-2016	Here we come a wassailing! Here's a great wassail recipe from http://www.stephaniedray.com/2011/12/23/christmas-recipes-from-tudor-and-stuart-england/ "Christmas lasted a long time in centuries past. The twelve days of Christmas began on December 25 and the season ended with Twelfth Night – the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. In sixteenth and seventeenth century England there were many traditional rituals, games, and foods associated with the season. One of the oldest traditions for Twelfth Night was wassailing, which has connections to Anglo-Saxon rituals. Wassail was a hot punch of ale mulled with sugar and nutmeg. The addition of little roasted crab apples, which split to reveal a fluffy white interior, turned wassail into “Lamb’s wool.” The word wassail is a contraction of the Middle English wæs hæl, meaning “good health” or “be you healthy.” There were two different traditions of wassailing. One was caroling door to door, bearing a wassail bowl. The households the revelers serenaded were obliged to welcome them in, drink from the bowl, and reward the carolers with little gifts of money. Another tradition was singing to trees in apple orchards in cider-producing regions of England to promote a good harvest for the coming year. Wassail Recipe from Alton Brown from the Food Network: Ingredients 6 small Fuji apples, cored 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup water 72 ounces ale 750 ml Madeira 10 whole cloves 10 whole allspice berries 1 cinnamon stick, 2-inches long 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 6 large eggs, separated Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the apples into an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish. Spoon the brown sugar into the center of each apple, dividing the sugar evenly among them. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish and bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Pour the ale and Madeira into a large slow cooker. Put the cloves, allspice, and cinnamon into a small muslin bag or cheesecloth, tied with kitchen twine, and add to the slow cooker along with the ginger and nutmeg. Set the slow cooker to medium heat and bring the mixture to at least 120 degrees F. Do not boil. Add the egg whites to a medium bowl and using a hand mixer, beat until stiff peaks form. Put the egg yolks into a separate bowl and beat until lightened in color and frothy, approximately 2 minutes. Add the egg whites to the yolks and using the hand mixer, beat, just until combined. Slowly add 4 to 6 ounces of the alcohol mixture from the slow cooker to the egg mixture, beating with the hand mixer on low speed. Return this mixture to the slow cooker and whisk to combine. Add the apples and the liquid from the baking dish to the wassail and stir to combine. Ladle into cups and serve."
Window nº 4 4-12-2016	Some festive carols from King's College Cambridge to add some music to your day
Window nº 5 5-12-2016	Hopefully you can take some time out today and add some festive relaxation to your day, even though it's a Monday. Why not bake some traditional Gyngerbrede, which originated in England in the 15th century? It's not much like gingerbread that we would know, being more of a sticky gooey confection. Learn more about it here: http://www.godecookery.com/ginger/ginger.htm From the Gode Cookery website (which has the original recipe and a bit of history) http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec42.htm MODERN RECIPE: 4 cups honey 1 lb. unseasoned bread crumbs 1 tbs. each ginger & cinnamon 1 tsp. ground white pepper pinch saffron whole cloves Bring the honey to a boil and skim off any scum. Keeping the pan over very low heat, stir in the breadcrumbs and spices. When it is a thick, well-blended mass (add more bread crumbs if necessary), remove from heat & let cool slightly, then lay out on a flat surface & press firmly into an evenly shaped square or rectangle, about 3/4 of an inch thick. Let cool, then cut into small squares to serve. Garnish each square by sticking a whole clove in the top center. (here's a converter for metric/celsius http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/equiv.htm)
Window nº 6 6-12-2016	It's St. Nicholas Day! In Medieval England, before the Reformation, St. Nicholas Day was a popular feast day during Advent. As St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, parishes would hold Yuletide "boy bishop" celebrations. As part of these celebrations, boys would perform the functions of the priests and bishops, and would rule over their elders. You can learn more about St. Nicholas celebrations in medieval England here: http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/england/ This is a day to remember those less fortunate as well. According to one source, in medieval times the nuns would deposit baskets of food and clothing anonymously at the homes of the needy overnight on December 6. Here are some ways you can celebrate as well! http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/how-to-celebrate/ You can also channel the spirit of St. Nicholas and make a donation to Toybox, a charity that helps street children throughout the world.
Window nº 7 7-12-2016	Still working on your decorations? Take inspiration from what John Stow has to say about holly, ivy, laurel and bay leaves decorating the city in his Survey of London: "Against the feast of Christmas every man's house, as also their parish churches, were decked with holm, ivy, bays, and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green. The conduits and the standards in the streets were likewise garnished. Amongst which I read, that in the year 1444, by tempest of thunder and lightning, on the first of February at night, Paul's steeple was fired, but with great labour quenched, and towards the morning of Candlemas day, at the Leadenhall in Comhill, a standard of tree, being set up in the pavement fast in the ground, nailed full of holm and ivy, for disport of Christmas to the people, etc."
Window nº 8 8-12-2016	More music today! Here's a great playlist on youtube of English Renaissance Christmas music.
Window nº 9 9-12-2016	Ever wonder how to make a traditional Christmas pudding? In this video, English Heritage shows us how.
Window nº 10 10-12-2016	Ever wonder what the history of the Yule Log is? I did! The Yule Log customs were originally started in Northern Europe, and pre-date the medieval period. Yule is the traditional name for the winter solstice festivals in Scandinavia. The Yule Log was a complete tree that was brought into the house in the midst of a big ceremony, and the largest end would be placed in the hearth while the rest of the log stuck out into the room. Then the log would be lit from the remains of the previous year's log, which had been stored. The yule log would burn during the entire 12 days of Christmas. If any is left after Twelfth Night, it is safely stored until next Christmas. Here's a lovely video - 2 hours of a cozy yule log fireplace with crackling sounds. Grab a hot chocolate and enjoy!
Window nº 11 11-12-2016	This is a great article on medievalists.net about historical Christmas traditions! Go read it! I especially love the trolls in Iceland. Having spent time in Iceland twice, I totally see it! http://www.medievalists.net/2012/12/20/seven-medieval-christmas-traditions/
Window nº 12 12-12-2016	Want a refresher on Christmas celebrations in Tudor England? I did an episode on it almost 6 years ago. Here's a throwback episode from the archives! www.hipcast.com/podcast/H6MCR7bQ
Window nº 13 13-12-2016	Some of the earliest Christmas carol music we have, for England at least, come from the *Trinity Carol Roll, which is named after the college in which it resides (Trinity, in Cambridge) rather than because of any great hymn about the Trinity, or anything like that. A few years ago that Alamire Consort recorded the entire Trinity Carol Roll, so here, have a listen to it before we go on: Lovely, isn't it? It's the earliest surviving record of polyphonic carols in the English language. It dates from around 1415, which we can tell by the inclusion of the Agincourt Carol which celebrated Henry V's victory of that same year. Now we associate the word "carol" with a Christmas carol, but really a carol can celebrate anything, including a military victory. The Trinity Carol Roll is written on vellum that is 2 meters long and 17cm wide, in scrolls, which were cheaper and easier to carry around in the Middle Ages than bound books. But because they didn't have a covering, they were particularly at risk of being damaged. Somehow these 13 carols have survived, and were given to Trinity College in 1838. Inasmuch as carols didn't have to be about Christmas, most of the ones included in the Trinity Carol Roll are. Six are about the Nativity, 2 about St. Stephen and St. John the Evangelist who have feast days on the 26th and 27th of December respectively, and then three more praise the Virgin Mary, like the ever popular There is No Rose of Such Virtue:* I highly recommend that you add a bit of this 600 year old music to your Christmas playlists this year. It beats "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Really, it does. More information: The BBC Early Music Show on the Trinity Carol Roll http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pcq9q
Window nº 14 14-12-2016	Have you ever heard of Mummers Plays? A traditional play that dates back to Roman times, Mumming became a huge thing in Medieval England. Traditionally, on St. Thomas' Day (the shortest day of the year) men and women would swap clothes, put on masks, and go around visiting neighbors singing, dancing, or putting on a silly play. The leader of the group dressed up as Father Christmas. There were different customs of entertainments in different parts of the UK. In the North and West (Durham, Yorkshire and Devon) people also performed a sword dance. Here's a famous Mumming Poem, which I personally remember as a more modern Christmas song that they sung on my mom's "Christmas on the Ponderosa" with the cast of Bonanza album from the late 70's :) ---- Christmas is coming, the beef is getting fat, Please drop a penny in the old mans hat. Over the years, this was changed into a very similar poem that is said by some carol singers today: Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, Please put a penny in the old mans hat. --- Here's a video about a modern-day Mumming group in Ireland that you might enjoy.
Window nº 15 15-12-2016	Thanks to the Tudor Tattler website for 12 Days of Tudor Feasts, which was published in 2011. Here's a great recipe for minced pies, as well as the history. Read all about it here: http://www.thetudortattler.com/2011/12/twelve-days-of-tudor-christmas-feasting.html --- "Minced pies were enjoyed by Tudors from the lowliest peasants to the King and his court. Minced pies were made with thirteen ingredients to represent Christ an his apostles. Below is a traditional minced pie recipes. Often times, pies were shaped like a crib (to represent the Christ child) or decorated with a crib or infant child (like the image to the right). Traditional Tudor Minced Pies 1 cup lamb (minced) 1/2 cup veal (minced) 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup raisins 1 cup currants 1 orange (both zest and juice) 1/2 lemon (both zest and juice) 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground mace 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 cup dates Individual Pie Crusts Mix ingredients. Cover and let sit overnight. Place filling in Pie Crusts. Place extra crust on top of each pie (you can cut top crust into fun Christmas shapes). Dust with egg yolk. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 mins or until golden brown. Meat was the main course of any Christmas feast. For peasants, poultry or game would have to suffice. However, for the rich, Swan, Peacock, and a Boar's Head were eaten. The first Christmas Turkey in England dates from the early 1520's, and was served to none other than King Henry VIII himself. Though expensive, Queen Elizabeth ordered that every household in England should eat goose as part of their Christmas Feast in 1588, as it was the first meal she enjoyed after the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Needless to say, many of the Queen's poorer subjects had to settle for much smaller and less expensive game. Presentation was extremely important in Tudor England. When meat, such as swan or peacock, was cooked, the skin and feathers were removed, then replaced once the bird had finished roasting, leaving the bird to look as if it had never been cooked!" Source: http://www.thetudortattler.com/2011/12/twelve-days-of-tudor-christmas-feasting.html
Window nº 16 16-12-2016	Movie Night! Pop some popcorn and tune in this documentary: A Tudor Feast at Christmas. Food and history. Yum Yum! Playlist is in 4 parts on YouTube. Enjoy!
Window nº 17 17-12-2016	Christmas is a time for all of our senses to be stimulated - sound, through the wonderful ancient carols; smell, with the scents of pine, cinnamon, and other festive fragrances; taste, through the delicious foods; touch, through kisses under the mistletoe and the feel of a warm mug of hot chocolate in our hands; and sight, with the many images of the season on Christmas cards. The visual arts provide a special way of meditating on the season, and the National Gallery in London has a special exhibit of the Nativities Trail showcasing the Renaissance artwork that tells the Christmas story. Visit the Gallery and follow the Nativity Trail online by going to their website: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/christmas/nativities and if you're near London, pop in for a visit and spend some time thinking about how these artists from hundreds of years ago expressed the story of Christmas through their work.
Window nº 18 18-12-2016	Get your dancing shoes on! Morris dancing, that is. Morris Dancing dates from the 15th Century in England, was traditionally performed at the Holidays, and is still done at Christmas in many parts of England, as well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and other countries. Here's a festive dance I found on youtube from Christmas time 2009.
Window nº 19 19-12-2016	The Festivals of Nine Lessons and Carols is a tradition in the Anglican Church. Here's a youtube that has the audio of the entire service from King's College, Cambridge, from 2013. What a beautiful way to get into the Christmas spirit!
Window nº 20 20-12-2016	Another movie! Here's a quick how-to video on how to make a Tudor Christmas decoration!
Window nº 21 21-12-2016	I know many of us will be heading out to midnight mass or midnight communion service in a few days. Myself, I'll be headed to the early kid-friendly service - two years in a row of trying to drag Hannah to the late service just because I love singing Silent Night in the dark at midnight was enough. We'll have to skip that tradition for a few years, I think! Anyway, historically Christmas was one of only two holidays a year where there were three masses - the other one was Easter. This comes from medievalists.net: "To add to the importance of Christmas masses visual images were added, such as displaying a crib in the church to represent the place where Jesus was born. By the early-twelfth century, the liturgy would include dramatic scenes, such as ‘angels’ singing. This would lead to the development of plays, especially in towns, were Bible scenes were dramatized. For example, two ‘Shepherds’ Plays’ from Wakefield, written in the early fifteenth-century, made use of eleven verses of Luke’s Gospel and turned it into fifty pages of elaborate performance. " (http://www.medievalists.net/2010/12/25/christmas-in-the-middle-ages/) Here's an example of Minnesota State University Moorhead showing what it would have looked like...
Window nº 22 22-12-2016	One of the most special cathedrals in England (in my ever-so-humble-opinion) is Winchester Cathedral. It was the setting of Mary Tudor's happiest day when she finally married Phillip II of Spain. Its history goes back to the 7th century when the Anglo Saxons built an early church in Winchester. This tv special, Carols for Christmas Day, is perfect both because of the location, as well as the music.
Window nº 23 23-12-2016	One of my favorite music programs on the radio is a show called the Millennium of Music, which features early music exclusively. I found it on Sirius, but it's also on NPR on a lot of stations. You can also subscribe and listen on their website, https://www.millenniumofmusic.com/ - and I should add that, while I'm trying to chase down the host, Robert Aubry Davis, for an interview for the podcast (he's brilliant), they aren't paying me for this link-love. This is purely me and my radio-program crush on the Millennium of Music. Anyway, while they normally charge a subscription to listen to archived programs, you can listen to two free Christmas episodes on the homepage of the site this month. The shows he picked are fantastic, and the interview with Donald Grieg of the Orlando Consort is packed with informational goodness. Check it out for your wrapping-presents playlist. https://www.millenniumofmusic.com/
Window nº 24 24-12-2016	It's getting close to the end of our journey through Advent together! What a blast it's been, finding these little gems and fun bits of holiday goodness. For our final day, a poem. George Wither was a late Renaissance satirist and poet, and he wrote this Christmas Carol in the early 17th century. It paints a lovely picture of what the holiday would have been like for people four or five hundred years ago. I hope you enjoy reading it. I hope you're able to have some quiet time tonight and tomorrow to enjoy this special time in peace. George Wither A Christmas Carol So now is come our joyful feast, Let every man be jolly; Each room with ivy leaves is dressed, And every post with holly. Though some churls at our mirth repine, Round your foreheads garlands twine, Drown sorrow in a cup of wine, And let us all be merry. Now all our neighbors' chimnies smoke, And Christmas blocks are burning; Their ovens they with baked meats choke, And all their spits are turning. Without the door let sorrow lie, And if for cold it hap to die, We'll bury it in a Christmas pie, And evermore be merry. Now every lad is wondrous trim, And no man minds his labor; Our lasses have provided them A bagpipe and a tabor. Young men and maids, and girls and boys, Give life to one another's joys; And you anon shall by their noise Perceive that they are merry. Rank misers now do sparing shun, Their hall of music soundeth; And dogs thence with whole shoulders run, So all things aboundeth. The country-folk themselves advance, For crowdy-mutton's come out of France; And Jack shall pipe and Jill shall dance, And all the town be merry. Ned Swatch hath fetched his bands from pawn, And all his best apparel; Brisk Nell hath bought a ruff of lawn With droppings of the barrel. And those that hardly all the year Had bread to eat or rags to wear, Will have both clothes and dainty fare, And all the day be merry. Now poor men to the justices With capons make their errands; And if they hap to fail of these, They plague them with their warrants. But now they feed them with good cheer, And what they want they take in beer, For Christmas comes but once a year, And then they shall be merry. Good farmers in the country nurse The poor, that else were undone; Some landlords spend their money worse, On lust and pride at London. There the roisters they do play, Drab and dice their land away, Which may be ours another day; And therefore let's be merry. The client now his suit forbears, The prisoner's heart is eased; The debtor drinks away his cares, And for the time is pleased. Though others' purses be more fat, Why should we pine or grieve at that; Hang sorrow, care will kill a cat, And therefore let's be merry. Hark how the wags abroad do call Each other forth to rambling; Anon you'll see them in the hall, For nuts and apples scrambling; Hark how the roofs with laughters sound, Anon they'll think the house goes round; For they the cellar's depths have found, And there they will be merry. The wenches with their wassail-bowls About the streets are singing; The boys are come to catch the owls, The wild mare in is bringing. Our kitchen boy hath broke his box, And to the dealing of the ox Our honest neighbors come by flocks, And here they will be merry. Now kings and queens poor sheep-cotes have, And mate with everybody; The honest now may play the knave, And wise men play at noddy. Some youths will now a mumming go, Some others play at rowland-hoe, And twenty other gameboys moe; Because they will be merry. Then wherefore in these merry days Should we, I pray, be duller? No, let us sing some roundelays To make our mirth the fuller. And whilst we thus inspired sing, Let all the streets with echoes ring; Woods, and hills, and everything Bear witness we are merry.
Window nº 25 25-12-2016	Perfect music for opening gifts this morning - Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from 2015. Enjoy, and Happy Happy Christmas!