Christmas in the time of Alfred the Great.By Mary Ann Bernal.
Celebrating Christmas in the Ninth Century
The court of
Alfred the Great was Christian, deferring to the Pope in Rome for religious
guidance. King Alfred rigorously enforced the Church’s mandates from fasting
during Lent to Almsgiving throughout the year, and not just at Christmastime.
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| Alfred the Great ~ Wikipedia |
There was
merrymaking and feasting, but it was also a solemn occasion; prayer and
attending Mass was foremost, since the holiday celebrates the birth of Christ.
During the twelve
days of Christmas (the days prior to Christmas Day), the Christian community
prayed at daily Mass, attended vigils, and participated in almsgiving, donating
not only to the poor, but to the religious communities as well.
One must not
forget the food. Meats included beef, pork, turkey and boar, which was a nice
respite after having fasted on fish. Favorite vegetables were carrots, onions,
parsnips and cabbage. Bread warmed on the hearth and everything was washed down
with wine, mead and ale. Yes, there was always room for dessert with a variety
of tasty pies or fruit, such as apples, plums and cherries. And like today, a
great chef was worth his or her weight in gold.
Minstrels would
play festive tunes and guests would dance; gift giving was also practiced.
Over the
centuries, customs have come and gone, but the main reason for the celebration
remains, celebrating the birth of Christ.
About Mary Anne Bernal
Mary
Ann Bernal is a family oriented, community activist participating in programs
supporting the United States military. A guest on The Morning Blend television
show hosted by KMTV, the CBS affiliate in Omaha, Mary Ann was also interviewed
by the Omaha World-Herald for her achievements.
All of Mary Ann’s
novels and short story collections are dedicated to fallen military heroes who
gave their lives defending our freedom. A prolific writer originally hailing
from New York, Mary Ann now resides in Omaha and has traveled for pleasure and
research to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy and Greece.
The Briton and the Dane series transports the reader to ninth century
Anglo-Saxon England, a tumultuous period in history, when the feared Vikings
ravaged all of Christendom.
Reference:
All images, unless otherwise stated, can be found on Pixabay
I can smell that bread warming on the hearth! Delicious!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous post, Mary Ann!
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me, Mary Anne. Love Christmas. God Bless.
DeleteDo you know if gifts were given on each of the 12 days like in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas?
ReplyDeleteI have not found any documentation about daily gift giving in this period. Emphasis was on alms giving.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, Mary Ann. Do you know how much the poor would have received in alms?
ReplyDeleteHow much depends on the individual dispensing the alms and how much they had to work with.
DeleteSurely the 12 days started with Christmas day and ran to Epiphany - not the 12 days prior to Christmas?
ReplyDeleteThe twelve days referenced above is not referring to the popular twelve days between Christmans and Epiphany. I apologize for being unclear with the post.
Delete