In Renaissance England, Christmas was a big and lively celebration lasted twelve days, from Christmas Day to Twelfth Night (6 January), and mixed religious observance with feasting, games, and social role-reversal.
Religious Observance
Even though Protestant services had replaced Catholic Mass during Henry VIII’s reign, Christmas remained widely celebrated—despite some Puritan opposition. So Christmas Day began with church services.
Homes and churches were decorated with evergreens such as holly, ivy, and rosemary, symbolizing life during winter.
Feasting and Food
Food was central to Christmas celebrations. In wealthier homes, you would find roast meats, such as geese and pork. For dessert, mince pies (then called “Christmas pies”), often shaped like a manger, would be served. They also enjoyed plum porridge (an early form of plum pudding) and spiced cakes, marchpane (marzipan), nuts, and fruit. Poorer homes had far less of these delicacies.
For drinks, a hot spiced ale or wine called wassail was shared. Great households might feed hundreds of guests, including servants and the local poor.
Games, Music, and Misrule
Christmas was a time of licensed disorder. A “Lord of Misrule” was appointed in many households or communities to oversee games, jokes, and revelry. Dancing, singing carols, mumming, and masquerades were common.
Plays and masques were performed, especially at court (Shakespeare wrote plays specifically for the Christmas season).
Gift Giving
Gifts were usually exchanged on New Year’s Day, not Christmas Day. Typical gifts included gloves, coins, books, or food. Giving gifts to social superiors was common and politically important at court.
Court celebrations
At the royal court, Christmas was marked by extravagant banquets, music, jousting, and theatrical masques. Elizabeth I loved pageantry and often received elaborate New Year’s gifts from courtiers. The court set the trends that nobles and gentry imitated in their Christmas celebrations.
Social Customs and Charity
The wealthy were expected to show hospitality and charity, opening their homes to visitors. Alms and food were distributed to the poor. Servants often received time off and better food than usual. The poor’s Christmas came with a welcome respite from daily toil.
During Christmas, “begging” for wassail was a festive tradition where groups of people went door-to-door singing carols, offering blessings for good health and harvest, and expecting treats like spiced drinks (wassail), food, or money in return. It was a mix of charity, community bonding, and seasonal merriment, not actual begging, where the poor could share in the rich’s abundance in exchange for good cheer and songs.
Today, we celebrate Christmas in some similar ways, but with much more emphasis on the commercial side of the holiday. Despite that, those of us who celebrate still enjoy the music, food and social side of Christmas.
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