A Medieval Christmas Feast

as adapted by Absinthe Yronwode

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This borys hede we brying with song
In worchyp of hym that thus sprang
Of a virgine to redresse all wrong;
Nowell, nowelle.

- From an old English Chirstmas carol

Due to much evidence to suggest that Christ was not actually born on December 25th, many scholars concur that the establishment of this date as the celebration of the Nativity had much to do with early church leaders wishing to substitute a Christian holiday for the well-established pagan Saturnalia (next Oracle issue). Quite obviously, this plan was a success.

Medieval England is touted with a most important contribution to the festivities, centuries after the date was established, namely…it’s name. The words Cristes Maesse - literally, Mass of Christ - appears as early as 1038, and a chronicle from the year 1134 reads:  "This yere heald se kyng Heanri his hird (court) aet Cristes masesse on Windlesoure (Windsor)."  Thus, our modern Christmas is derived from somehow keeping the original pronunciation of Crist (that rhymed with mist) and slurring our ‘t’ into the mass, which brought about the unusual phonetic Crissmuss…a word that no longer quite conjures the image of the original meaning.

Another holiday tradition from the Middle Ages is apparent in the word wassail, surviving from the Anglo-Saxon weshal, meaning "be in good health".  By the 13th century, weshal was a common utterance when offering a cup of wine to a guest.

Feasting is a theme in medieval record and literature that we return to again and again. Laborious woodcuts and etchings alongside detailed accounts show the enormous pomp and ceremony given to the activity:

At 10 am on Christmas Day, amidst the blare of clarion trumpets, a marshal would usher guests into the castle’s great hall where they were seated according to the established order of precedence. The hand washing ceremony commenced with a bowl of spiced and scented water being circulated, and a Latin grace was chanted in unison. The trumpets came to life again to announce the servers as they entered the hall, laden under steaming platters of spit-roasted haunches, gilded fowl and enormous crusty pies.

Traditionally, medieval feasts were served in three courses. Each course included a soup and any of a wide variety of baked, roasted or boiled dishes. Lavish portions of gilded peacock or festooned boar’s head might be a highlight of the grandiose menu. Servers were also an entertainment unto themselves, often singing as they served:
 
 

Finally, once one thought they could eat no more, came the sotelty…a lifelike and often edible scene sculpted in colored marzipan or dough. If not a sculpture, then perhaps an Illusion Dessert like Cockatrice or Live Blackbird Pie (future Oracle issues)! One 15th century English menu even suggests a sotelty with each course, successively depicting the Christmas story for the guests as the feast progresses.

But showmanship alone was not the limit of the medieval feasts charms. The bounty, as well, has legendary proportions. An early historian noted that in 1398 King Richard II "kept his Christmas at Liechfield, where he spent (used) in the Christmas time 200 tunns of wine and 2000 oxen with their appurtenances."

England did not know the fork until the 17th century, so feasters would sate themselves with fingers, knives and spoons, eating from trenchers which were plates made from thick slabs of four-day-old bread. When dry, they called for the cup and a silver goblet or perhaps bowl-shaped mazer of wine would be brought to the table. Cups were shared, therefore guests, like Chaucer’s Prioress, were careful not to leave grease on the rim lest their table manners be considered unacceptable for future repast!  As one medieval etiquette book instructs:

Go to:  Recipes for Your Own Medieval Feast