Christmas in the Middle Ages was very different from today. It was raucous, long, and full of tradition, but it was fun.
Christmas was twelve days long and sported great traditions and a few bad ones. People went wassailing, participated in the Festival of Fools, feasted, drank other alcohols that weren’t wassail, burned Yule logs, and gave gifts. Christmas was a festive time, and most people were allowed time off work, often all twelve days, to celebrate.
What else happened during Christmas? Get ready to find out!
What Happened During the Month Before Christmas?
Christmas was fun and lasted a while in the Middle Ages, but there were some tradeoffs. For about a month beforehand, people had to observe Advent. Advent was like a pre-Christmas Lent, though not quite as strict.
During Advent, people would give up meat, dairy, and a few other rich foods, eating fruits and vegetables instead. They were also supposed to give up things like getting married, traveling too much, and other things permitted during the rest of the year.
Because of Advent, people were all the more ready to feast and celebrate for twelve days.
What Did People Do the Day of Christmas?
Today Christmas is the crowning jewel of our celebrations, but that wasn’t always the case. During the Middle Ages, the twelve days after Christmas were the exciting ones. On Christmas Day, people had to attend three masses. Christmas was meant to be very spiritual.
One at midnight, one at dawn, and one later that day. Because they spent their whole day in mass and the month preceding Christmas fasting, the twelve days after were crazy and fun. Christmas Day in the Middle Ages would be a giant letdown for any modern revelers.
What Were the First Six Days of Christmas?
The twelve days of Christmas are not celebrated anymore, but in the Middle Ages, they were well celebrated. The twelve days of Christmas spanned the 26th of December to the 6th of January.
- The 1st day of Christmas was Saint Stephan’s Day. Lords and peasants traded places, and real lords would give gifts to their tenants. These gifts could be clothing, money, or anything else useful. They celebrated on December 26th.
- The second day of Christmas was dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, but it was an ordinary day of partying. It was on December 27th.
- The third day of Christmas was the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Some thought that was the most unlucky day of the year because it was the day that Herod had all the baby boys in Bethlehem killed. That day was the 28th of December.
- The fourth day of Christmas was another normal day of revelry. It was the 29th day of December.
- On December 30th, all was revelry, but not super important. This was the fifth day of Christmas.
- The sixth day of Christmas was December 31st.
What Were the Last Six Days of Christmas?
The first six days of Christmas were raucous and crazy, but the last six could be even more so. The Catholic Church banned some traditions because the people were so crazy. The people in the Middle Ages certainly knew how to party and mess around during their free time.
- The seventh day of Christmas was wild and crazy because it was the festival of fools. During the Festival of Fools, everything was in upheaval. Priests would do things they weren’t aloud the rest of the year such as running, leaping, and overall poor representatives of the church, clerks would be popes for a day, and people in masks would run amok. Eventually, the Catholic Church banned the festival because of how crazy it was. This was on January 1st.
- On January 2nd people celebrated the eighth day of Christmas.
- January 3rd was the ninth day of Christmas.
- The tenth day of Christmas was celebrated on January 4th.
- The eleventh day of Christmas (January 5th) was called the Twelfth Night. Technically Christmas night was the start of Saint Stephan’s Day. On the Twelfth Night, people would go wassailing. People may have done this on other nights, but the Twelfth Night was the main one.
- On January 6th, people celebrated the twelfth and last day of Christmas. That was also the Feast of Epiphany, the celebration of when the three wise men visited Christ.
What Did People Eat During the Twelve Days of Christmas?
People feasted during the twelve days of Christmas. The wealthy sometimes ate minced meat pies with real meat, peacock, swan, black pudding, eel, fruitcake, and many other foods. They also enjoyed spices.
Drinks could include an alcoholic wassail, ale, honeyed mead, and wine. Everybody went wassailing. Poor people could enjoy richer food and drink than usual, and sometimes they ate at the local manor. Some nobles had to offer at least one dinner to their tenants, though sometimes more, or invite them over to the manor one night.
One way to get around having to feed all those people was to tell them to bring their own dinner. They still got to eat in the manor.
What Did People Do During the Twelve Days of Christmas?
The twelve days of Christmas were full of merriment, excitement, and traditions. Some staved off ill luck, discouraged evil spirits, told the future, and others were just for fun. They would play many card and board games like Chess, Fox and Geese, dice games, and gambling games.
Snapdragon was one of the more crazy and most dangerous games. Raisins, almonds, and sometimes other treats were covered with brandy or different alcohol and set on fire. People had to avoid getting burned while grabbing the flaming treats. Supposedly, the winner would meet their love within a year. Another was Hot Cockles, where a person would look away while someone slapped them. If they guessed correctly, it was the next person’s turn. It was a parlor game.
Another tradition was caroling, but they danced along with the singing. They burned a Yule log, which was supposed to burn for all twelve days. If it went out early, there was bad luck for the coming year.
The tradition of Mistletoe came from the Middle Ages. It would rule over them, making them kiss someone every time they passed beneath it.
Who Was Celebrated During the Twelve Days of Christmas?
Christmas time celebrated many saints’ days.
- The first day of Christmas celebrated Saint Stephan, the first Christian martyr.
- The second day of Christmas celebrated Saint John the Evangelist.
- The third day of Christmas was held to laud the Holy Innocents.
- The fourth day of Christmas was in honor of Saint Thomas of Canterbury.
- The fifth day of Christmas was celebrated for Saint Egwin, a bishop.
- The sixth day of Christmas was in remembrance of Saint Sylvester, a pope that cured an emperor of leprosy.
- The seventh day of Christmas celebrated the Circumcision of Christ, with was traditionally prominent because it was the first time he bled.
- The eighth day of Christmas celebrated Saint Abel, the one whose brother Cain murdered.
- The ninth day of Christmas honored Saint Genevive. She protected Paris from Attila the Hun by fasting and praying.
- The tenth day of Christmas celebrated a few saints who were put to death by the king of Vandals.
- The eleventh day of Christmas celebrated Saint Simeon Stylites, who lived on top of a pillar for thirty-seven years.
- The twelfth day of Christmas celebrated the three wise men.
How to Throw Your Own Medieval Christmas!
Christmas in the Middle Ages was fun, and you can celebrate like them. I suggest you leave out the alcohol and a few games like Hot Cockles and Snapdragon since they could result in uncomfortable guests, which is never good. You can play chess and a variety of card games. Medieval people played chess to improve their ability to strategize. For kids, you could play blind man’s bluff, a variation of a medieval game, or wrestle and practice sword fighting. You could go caroling. If you have a fireplace, you could burn a Yule log.
A large part of Christmastime was the feasting, which you can achieve at home. The foods can be simpler to make and less alcoholic, though. As a part of your feast, you could include fruitcake, wassail, bread, ham, a bird, like duck or goose, black pudding, minced meat pies, fish, vegetables, nuts, fruits, cheese, gingerbread, Christmas pudding (but don’t set it ablaze), and other desserts. Do not serve turkey! Turkeys are native to America; in the Middle Ages, people lived in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
A Few Medieval Recipes for this Holiday Season, and a Little Bit More History:
Wassail
Wassail was a popular alcoholic Christmas drink during the Middle Ages. It was warmed cider, wine, or ale, with other things like honey and spices, so there were some fans.
On their way, people would also sing carols. There were a few wassailing carols like the song “Here We Come A-Wassailing” sometimes called “Here We Come A-Caroling.” One of the verses was:
Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a-wassailing,
So fair to be seen:
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too,
And God bless you and send you,
A happy New Year,
And God send you,
A happy new year.
Today I’m pretty sure your neighbors will not give you and your family bowls full of alcoholic spiced wassail, but you can make your own at home. I suggest a non-alcoholic, family-friendly, pretty cheap version, like the one below. It is my family’s recipe; I think it tastes delicious.
Ingredients:
- 1 can of frozen apple juice, prepared
- 1 can of frozen orange juice, prepared
- 1-2 T whole cloves
- 2-4 sticks of cinnamon or a couple of tablespoons of ground cinnamon
- Optional: half a bag of cranberries (for looks)
- Optional: orange slices (also to look nice, though I like eating them after the rest of the wassail has been drunk)
Supplies:
- a pot large enough to hold all of the juice and other ingredients
- a stove
- something to drink out of, like a mug or foam cups
- people to drink it with
To make:
- In a large pot, simmer the juice and spices until they are well combined. You can simmer for a very long time if you want.
- If you choose to add the cranberries and/or orange slices, we put them in more toward the end.
Mincemeat
Do mincemeat pies actually have meat in them? Not anymore, although some recipes include suet, which is hard, raw fat. Suet comes from beef, lamb, or mutton. In the Middle Ages, Mincemeat Pies lived up to their name. They would mix meat, like beef, lamb, or mutton with dried fruits and spices to display their wealth.
I have a recipe below that I made this Thanksgiving with my Grandpa and brother. It was light, citrusy, and delicious. We did use some substitutions, and I’m not including all of that, so please visit the original recipe. I’m also adding a link to a Youtube Channel I enjoy watching. It’s called Tasting History, with Max Miller. In this particular episode, Max Miller teaches us about Mincemeat in multiple time periods, and he makes a Victorian Mincemeat Pie (containing meat).
If you want to see the amazing original recipe with all of its unadapted options, please click below. Our slightly adapted version is below for reference and simplicity.
https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mincemeat-pie
Ingredients
CRUST
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups cold butter, diced
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
FILLING
- 3 Gala apples
- ½ cup dried figs
- 1 cup golden raisins
- about 3/4 cup dried apricots, topped off with dark raisins
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon butter
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar and vanilla
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons orange zest
- ¾ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp. water
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetened whipped cream
Directions
Step 1. Make dough: Mix flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size lumps.
Step 2. Turn out onto countertop and gather into a ball. Divide evenly into 2 disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
Step 3. Make filling: Peel and core apples. Finely dice dried apricots, figs, and raisins. Combine with remaining filling ingredients (except egg, granulated sugar, and whipped cream) in a medium bowl, making surety butter is evenly distributed. Chill filling until you’re ready to bake.
Step 4. Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out 1 dough disk about 1/8 in. thick and ease into a 9-in. pie pan. Chill.
Step 5. Roll out second disk about 1/8 in. thick. Cut into ten 1-in.-wide strips. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill 15 minutes.
Step 6. Stir mincemeat and spoon it into shell.
Step 7. Make lattice crust: Lay 5 strips of pie dough vertically across pie, spacing evenly. Take the top of every other strip and fold it back halfway. Lay a new strip horizontally across center of pie, next to folds of vertical strips. Unfold vertical strips back over horizontal strip. Fold the vertical strips back that were left flat last time, and repeat with a second horizontal strip, placing it above first strip (away from you). Repeat with a third horizontal strip above second. Repeat this process on lower half of pie, using remaining 2 strips of dough. Trim crust edges to 1 in. overhang, then fold bottom edge over top edge and crimp together. Brush lattice with egg mixture and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Step 8. Bake pie, tenting with foil if crust starts getting too dark, until golden brown and juices are bubbling, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool to warm or room temperature before slicing. Serve with whipped cream.
Christmas has evolved quite a bit since the Middle Ages. What are your favorite Christmastime traditions? Let me know in the comments!
To learn more…
(and check out my sources, and others I like and support that pertain)
For a prospective Medieval Games player, you might want to look at these…
Medieval Games that You Can Play This Christmas – CastlesandTurrets
How to Play a Fiery Victorian Christmas Game and Not Get Burned – Gastro Obscura
A little more on Advent…
Advent in the Middle Ages – Medievalists.net
Advent: Dates, Traditions, and History
Recognition for Saint Stephan’s Day, and it’s help in my post…
Christmas stuff…
The History Press | Christmas in the Middle Ages
Christmas in the Middle Ages – Medievalists.net
A very Medieval Christmas: what was Christmas like in medieval Reading? | Reading Museum
The Festival of Fools…
This Medieval Feast Of Fools Was So Extreme The Catholic Church Was Forced To Ban It
What about Wassailing?
The History of Wassail – The Researcher’s Gateway
A fictional book about the Middle Ages (with a historicaly minded author) that shows Christmas…
Catharine Called Birdy
Other Research Books, (though not necessarily about Christmas)…
- Life in a Medieval Castle
- Life in a Medieval Village
- Life in a Medieval City
Related works I wrote…
Did People Have Holidays in the Middle Ages?
Why Did People in the Middle Ages Celebrate Saints?
What Happened During Easter in the Middle Ages?
Did People Celebrate Birthdays in the Middle Ages?
Valentine’s Day and Courtly Love in the Middle Ages
A few others you might enjoy…
The Life Of Wealthy Girls In The Middle Ages
Life of Peasant Women in Medieval Times
The Lives of Rich Men in the Gothic Period
The Life of Poor Men in the Middle Ages
Cuisine of Wealthy People in the Middle Ages
To visit my blog…
If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below, and I will do my best to either link you to a pertaining post or write a new one for you!