Posts Tagged ‘Holiday’

30
Dec

The Sixth Day of Christmas (Tudor Style)

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in Medieval Miscellany

Henry Tudor’s Christmas Wish List

On the sixth day of Christmas my mummy sent to me
Six spies of Morton,
Five malmsey butts,
Four Papal pardons,
Three suns of York,
Two little princes,
And a crown in a hawthorn bush.

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29
Dec

The Fifth Day of Christmas (Tudor Style)

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in Medieval Miscellany

Henry Tudor’s Christmas Wish List

On the fifth day of Christmas my mummy sent to me
Five malmsey butts,
Four Papal pardons,
Three suns of York,
Two little princes,
And a crown in a hawthorn bush.

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28
Dec

The Fourth Day of Christmas (Tudor Style)

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in Medieval Miscellany

Henry Tudor’s Christmas Wish List

On the fourth day of Christmas my mummy sent to me
Four Papal pardons,
Three suns of York,
Two little princes,
And a crown in a hawthorn bush.

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27
Dec

The Third Day of Christmas (Tudor Style)

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in Medieval Miscellany

Henry Tudor’s Christmas Wish List

On the third day of Christmas my mummy sent to me
Three suns of York,
Two little princes,
And a crown in a hawthorn bush.

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26
Dec

The Second Day of Christmas (Tudor Style)

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in Medieval Miscellany

Henry Tudor’s Christmas Wish List

On the second day of Christmas my mummy sent to me
Two little princes,
And a crown in a hawthorn bush.

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25
Dec

The First Day of Christmas (Tudor Style)

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in Medieval Miscellany

At our December General Meeting one of the highlights were familiar Christmas carols with new – Ricardian – texts.  One of them was ‘Henry Tudor’s Christmas Wish List’.  This Tudor version of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ has been a favourite with our branch for a long time, so long in fact that nobody can remember who originally penned it.  Could the original author please come forward, we would like to award you a virtual laurel wreath!

We will bring you our version of this carol over the twelve days of Christmas and hope you enjoy it as much as we have done.

Henry Tudor’s Christmas Wish List

On the first day of Christmas my mummy sent to me
A crown in a hawthorn bush.

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28
Nov

Happy First Sunday of Advent

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in News

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent and we would like to take the opportunity and wish all our readers a very happy advent period.

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29
Sep

Michaelmas

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in Events in History

Today is Michaelmas, or the day of St Michael and All Angels.  This is one of the feast days which are often mentioned in medieval sources as it used to be one of the quarter-days in England.  By Michaelmas the harvest had to be completed, so it became the day when rents had to be paid, magistrates and councils were elected and on manors the peasants elected a reeve.  It was also a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning the faithful were obliged to attend mass.

The date of Michaelmas, 29 September, is about the time of the (northern hemisphere) autumn equinox, when the nights were getting longer and Michael came to be seen as the protector against the forces of the dark.  Many monasteries and churches, often near the sea, were dedicated to him.

Michael is one of the archangels and his name means “Who is like God?”.  St Michael is said to be the captain of the heavenly armies and is therefore generally pictured in full armour, carrying a lance and with his foot on the neck of a dragon (based on Revelation 12, 7).  You can distinguish him from St George, who is often shown in a similar pose, by his wings.

The traditional meal for Michaelmas would be roast goose.  The geese had fed on the stubble of the fields after the grain had been harvested.  In some places there was also a tradition of special large loaves of bread just for this day.  Carrots were a traditional accompaniment to the goose.

Michaelmas Term is still the name of the first term of the academic year at many British universities and some schools.

As an illustration for this day I simply couldn’t resist the photo of a statue by Wilhelm Rottermondt (1701 – 1755) of the Archangel Michael at my alma mater,  Bonn University, and therefore is of personal significance.

Bibliography:

Michael and All Angels”, The Mission of St. Clare, accessed 21 Sept.2010
Michaelmas”, Alice’s Medieval Feasts & Facts, accessed 21 Sept. 2010
Michaelmas Day”, The Old Foodie, accessed 21 Sept. 2010
September, 29th”, Hillman’s Hyperlinked and Searchable Chamber’s Book of Days, accessed 21 Sept. 2010

Photograph of St Michael at Bonn University taken by Michael Jaletzke; obtained through Wikimedia Commons.

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1
Apr

Happy Easter

   Posted by: Dorothea Preis    in News

Happy Easter!

In Richard’s time Easter was equally important as Christmas.  It came after the six weeks of Lent, a period of fasting, when people had to go without foodstuffs like meat and eggs.  Obviously their chickens were not aware of this and continued to lay eggs.  These were boiled and put aside for children to search and find them on Easter morning.  This tradition represented how the disciples were looking for the risen Jesus in his grave. Richard and Anne’s son Edward would probably have enjoyed an Easter egg hunt, possibly followed by a game of egg rolling.  Though these would have been real eggs, not the candy variety most children today regard as Easter eggs.

Easter Sunday would start with a church service at dawn, a tradition which is still alive in many churches, after which everyone was looking forward to a hearty meal and a day off work.  Probably Richard would have invited his friends, families and servants to a special feast at Middleham.

We would like to wish all our readers a very happy Easter.  We hope you enjoy the holidays and look forward to a free day and a feast.

Note: For more information click here.

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