In case you hadn’t noticed, Christmas season is upon us! With all the Christmas jumpers and mistletoe around Dublin, it got us thinking about how Christmas celebrations might have been in the past. So we dug deep into our library and consulted a few of our resident experts to bring you a flavour of medieval culture this Christmas.
Let’s start with Christmas at Brian Boru’s house. Specifically
the Christmas of 1013 when Brian and his army were waiting to attack Dublin. True
to their faith, the army returned home for Christmas to pause from the fighting
and honour the occasion. Though they didn’t rest up for long as the Battle of
Clontarf is thought to have occurred the following Easter – so they stopped for
Christmas but not for Easter!
While Brian’s Christmases may have pre-dated the tradition
of the Christmas tree, the Latvian capital of Riga claims to have decorated the
very first Christmas tree in the city’s main square over 500 years ago. Other
references to Christmas trees are scattered across Europe dating back to the 15th
and 16th Century, and we do know that other greenery was an
important feature of Medieval Christmas. If you were lucky enough to be
attending a medieval banquet around this time of year, holly would have
decorated every imaginable spot – walls, ceiling, windows and table. The tradition of placing mistletoe above a doorway or hanging it from the centre of the room also goes back to the medieval period, as it formed the centre piece of what was known as the kissing bush on the ceiling. In medieval times, guests who walked under the kissing bush would have extended a kiss of friendship to the person closest to them – and by the end of the night they would aim to clock up a total of 12!
You have probably heard mention of a yule candle in Christmas carols, but you may not know its medieval backstory. The crafting of a yule candle was actually quite a long term commitment. It was an enormous candle fashioned from different coloured waxes in the 12 months leading up to Christmas. It was placed in the centre of the table for all to see, surrounded by holly and ornaments such as stars, clowns faces, lutes, boots, bears, wheels and horseshoes. Okay, you might be a little late to light up a yule candle this year, but the good news is you can start crafting next year’s candle in a matter of weeks!
The culture of hospitality in Medieval Ireland was quiet strange. Monks were allowed to get drunk during a festival but only when it was their religious entitlement – their Old Irish rule book pardoned them from vomits of overindulgence which were acceptable, for example, after ‘drinking the joy of Christmas’ or Easter etc.
Speaking of overindulgent monks, we will leave you with a medieval
tradition which needs no introduction. We’ll just put these tasty details here
for you to mull over:
Medieval recipe for Mulled Apple or Pear Cider
Ingredients:
3 quarts fresh apple cider or pear juice
¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon of thyme
½ teaspoon ginger powder
7 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon finely crushed dried sweet basil
Method:
1. In a large enamelled pot, gently simmer the
juice with nutmeg, thyme, ginger, and cinnamon sticks.
2. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Break them, placing
a portion of stick in each tankard, glass or chalice. Pour on the warmed cider.
3. Sprinkle sweet basil sparingly on top of each
portion.
(Thanks to Medieval
Holidays and Festivals by Madeleine Pelner Cosman)
