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What was Christmas like eight hundred years ago, during the Middle Ages? And how did that suddenly change? By Laurel Guillen
These days, when we think of Christmas, what usually comes to mind are Santa Claus, reindeer and Christmas trees. But eight hundred years ago, none of those relatively modern Christmas traditions existed.
In medieval Europe, where the vast majority of Christians lived, the celebration of Christmas started on Christmas Day and lasted for twelve, very merry days. It was a time immediately following the harvest and people could take a long break from the usual hard work. In an age when famines were common and the poor rarely had plenty to eat, Christmas was a time for feasting on all kinds of food, ale and wine.
Certain traditions rooted in pagan celebrations of winter by the Romans, Celts, Vikings and others were adopted into the medieval Christmas festivities. For instance, holly and ivy, pine boughs and mistletoe were brought indoors for decoration, and large Yule logs were burned in the fireplace for the whole of Christmas Day.
Lords invited everyone living on their estates for a Christmas Day feast or sent them food, to make sure they didn’t go without. Bishops and Abbotts who ruled over monastery lands also gave to the poor.
St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, had yet to be transformed into Santa Claus the Christmas gift bringer. Nevertheless people gave gifts to each other throughout the twelve days. The rich exchanged coins and jewelry; but for most people, gifts were cherished food items like fish and fowl, pastries and honey, figs and oranges.
At Christmastime the noble class paid to be entertained by jugglers, acrobats, comedians called “fools” and minstrels — singers and musicians — and the like. But even peasants had entertainment. All it took was one person playing a wooden flute and another beating a drum and there was music for singing and dancing.
Eight hundred years ago the rich and poor, young and old played pantomimes and all kinds of games, and laughed over mischievous hijinks. People danced around the town or went from door to door dressed up in silly costumes, singing folksongs, telling jokes and demanding drinks.
It was also a time when roles were reversed. A choirboy was dressed up like a bishop and allowed to temporarily rule over a church or cathedral. A peasant was chosen by lot to be the Lord of Misrule and reign over a town or manor’s festivities. He could demand funny or embarrassing tasks from those in authority, such as having a lord wait on his own servants.
Today we bemoan the commercialization and secularization of Christmas. But eight hundred years ago there also were corruptions that came between people and the true spirit of the holiday. The church in Rome was facing scandals in the clergy, resentment for the way it gained its wealth and its endless power struggles with kings and other rulers, all of which were harming its reputation. Then there was the holiday itself. While people did give to the less fortunate and attend church services several times during those twelve days, Christmas came to resemble one long, jolly, over-indulgent party.
It was during this time that, in 1223, Francis of Assisi brought his flare for the dramatic and his love of the holy. He and his brother friars were already famous for wholeheartedly embracing poverty and charity. Now Francis wanted to inspire people by dramatizing the astounding gift Christ gave us by coming to earth as a poor and helpless babe. He and his brothers did it by staging history’s first “nativity scene,” inside a mountain cave near Greccio, Italy, complete with a live ox and donkey and a baby Jesus.
They invited the townspeople to a nighttime, outdoor Christmas Eve service lit by torches and candles. People were mesmerized by the scene and brought to tears by Francis’s touching sermon about the Babe of Bethlehem. The event was an instant sensation, and imitations of it soon spread throughout Christendom.
Today we cherish our nativity scenes — whether living or carved of wood or stone — and our candlelight services on Christmas Eve. Thus, eight hundred years ago the celebration of Christmas gained something that’s still a popular and beloved reminder of the true meaning of the holiday.
Meet the Author: Laurel Guillen
Laurel Guillen is a former radio, newspaper and television journalist who now helps manage two media companies. She co-produced the acclaimed family movie Little Red Wagon and writes a Facebook blog called God and Gardening. The seeds for her award-winning novel A Bellwether Christmas were planted years ago when she took her grandmother on a trip to central Italy.
Make sure you check out her book A Bellwether Christmas: A Novel – . Inspired by True Events, I will also be sharing a review soon.
In this warm, delightful Christmas tale, a 13th century lamb named Bart wants to know more about a mysterious man from the town of Assisi who talks to animals. Bart and his friends face challenges and danger, learn the meaning of love, honor, and sacrifice, and help start the tradition of the Christmas crèche we still enjoy today.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
