Festivals and Fairs in Renaissance England

Despite the hardships of daily life in Renaissance England, Elizabethans eagerly anticipated the various festivals and fairs that punctuated their calendar throughout the year. With leisure time limited, these events provided much-needed respite from work and an opportunity to come together as a community. While some celebrations coincided with Christian holy days, others had Pagan roots or commemorated significant events or figures in history.

For instance, Plough Monday, which fell on the second Monday in January, marked the end of Christmas and the New Year and celebrated the return to work. On Candlemas, held on February 2, all Christmas decorations were burnt, and people participated in candlelight and torchlight processions. Shrove Tuesday, falling between the third and ninth of March, was a holiday similar to Mardi Gras, during which apprentices were allowed to let loose and consume foods forbidden during Lent.

May Day, on May 1, was one of the few Pagan festivals and involved a nighttime party in the woods, followed by the erection of a decorated phallic maypole, feasting, dancing, and games. Midsummer day and Midsummer night, or St. John’s Eve, held on June 23 and June 24, respectively, coincided with the summer solstice, and featured a large bonfire and traditional masked mimes performing plays.

Lammastide, or Lammas Day, on August 2, celebrated the first wheat harvest with garlanded horses, apple-bobbing, and candle processions. On Michaelmas, celebrated on September 29, St. Michael, one of the principal angelic warriors, was honored with a feast of goose or chicken.

In October, St. Crispin’s Day, celebrated on October 25, honored the patron saints of cobblers, tanners, and leather workers with revels, bonfires, and the election of a “King Crispin.” On All Soul’s Day, November 1, people wore masks and lit bonfires to ward off evil spirits. And finally, Twelfth Night, on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas, marked the culmination of a twelve-day long celebration that featured the Feast of Fools, parodied ecclesiastical ritual, and merrymaking.

While we still celebrate some of these holidays, such as Christmas and Halloween, many others have been lost to time. Nevertheless, the Elizabethans’ love of festivals and fairs endures as a testament to the human need for joy and celebration.