Members of the Local History Society left the Hall after the November meeting with their heads full of thoughts of Christmas past. From Yule logs to boar’s heads, Sarah Doig, the speaker for the evening, took us on a journey to discover the origins of many of our traditions and surprised us by pointing out how many ancient practices we still follow today. There are too many to mention , but here are some fascinating facts from the talk.
Bringing greenery indoors dates from Pagan times when days were short and it was feared the sun might not return.
Our Christmas thoughts of good cheer, special food and drink, mirth and games, were first recorded in the 15th century .
The twelve days of Christmas were celebrated in Tudor times, with Advent being a time for fasting.
This was a time of mumming and mystery plays and the Lord of Misrule who turned everything upside down to make mischief as in Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night, which was a gift to Elizabeth I.
It is recorded that Henry VIII ate turkey at a feast in 1520.
Wassail, meaning good health, was celebrated with a punch made in Suffolk with port, wine and sherry, spices and fruit.
Carols were originally for dancing, the words came later.
Sarah finished her talk by reading a carol, Welcome my Lord Sir Christemas, written in 1460.
Members will now be looking forward to a social evening on 20th December. No flagons of ale, frumenty or peacocks but food and friendship and a talk from Ashley Cooper will fulfil our Christmas wishes.