Renaissance Christmas Traditions
Detail from The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Saints by Jan de Beer (1470-1528). Photograph: World History Archive/Alamy
The word Christmas is derived from "Cristes Maesse", Old English for Christ’s Mass. In England, people would fast for twelve hours before the three Masses of Christmas, the first being the Angel's Mass (midnight), the Shepherd’s Mass (at dawn), and the King's Mass (held during the day). The churches were decorated with elaborate nativity scenes especially in Italy, where stunning representations were created.
The Christmas season was celebrated from Christmas Eve to January 6 - The Twelve Days of Christmas. The majority of people worked on the land, and agricultural work, except for looking after the animals, would stop, restarting again on Plough Monday, the first Monday after Twelfth Night. The prime occupation of women was spinning, and it was also banned during the Christmas season. To ensure this, flowers were ceremonially placed upon and around spinning wheels to prevent their use.
Feasting
Then, as now, eating special foods was a highlight of the festivities. A menu for a Christmas Feast from 1660 by Robert May, a chef trained in France who cooked for the nobility, lists 39 dishes! Of the 39, 34 are meat dishes, and include venison, pork, mutton, veal, partridge, swan (displayed with feathers, head, neck and wings still on!) oysters, and sturgeon. These are prepared in a variety of ways – broiled, stewed, baked in pastry, and roasted. The few dishes that we would consider ‘dessert’ were oranges and lemons, a custard, pear or quince pie, jellies, and pippin (apple) tart.
“Still Life with Peacock Pie” (1627) by Pieter Claesz. Oil on panel. (National Gallery of Art)
In England, the traditional Christmas meal for those with means remained the boar’s head. In the 1520s, turkey was introduced, and King Henry VIII became one of the first to incorporate turkey into the Christmas feast. The Tudor Christmas Pie consisted of a turkey stuffed with a goose stuffed with a chicken stuffed with a partridge stuffed with a pigeon. All of this was baked in a pastry case, called a coffin.
Another English seasonal favourite was “minced pye”. Baked with thirteen ingredients to represent Christ and his Apostles, it included mutton as well as dried fruits and spices as in modern times. The loaf-like shape echoed the crib of the infant Christ and was sometimes adorned with an image of the babe in pastry.
During the Christmas season, wassail was served. The word “wassail” is believed to come from the old Anglo-Saxon toast waes hael, meaning “be well” or “be in good health.” Wassail was a hot drink made from ale, wine, or cider, flavoured with spices, sweetened with sugar or honey, and served from a large wooden bowl.
Gift-Giving
Christmas was a time for gift giving, inspired by the Magi's gifts to the Christ child. Receiving gifts was expected by royalty and lords of the manor as they required tribute from their subjects during the Christmas season. The peasants initially received nothing. Bohemian Duke Wenceslas I was among the first rulers to reverse the custom by handing out food, clothes, and firewood to the less fortunate.
The Yule Log
Hauling In The Yule Log, by H. M. Paget
The tradition of the Yule log had its origins in the pagan mythology of Nordic countries, where bonfires were lit to celebrate the return of the sun at the time of the winter solstice. The custom evolved and became associated with Christmas in several different cultures. For example, Florentines used to burn a massive oak branch in their fireplaces. The fire represented good wishes and prayers, with the ashes then spread as a symbol of new life. In England, a large log would be selected in the forest on Christmas Eve, and decorated with ribbons. Once in the home, it was lit and kept burning throughout the twelve days of Christmas. It was considered lucky to keep some of the charred remains to kindle the log of the following year.