Even before the upgrade of Santa Claus , indoor tree , and 24 - hour vacation receiving set , Christmas was a cause for festivity . The holiday dates back to the quaternary century whenPope Julius Ideclared December 25 to be the date of Christ ’s nascence . By the oddment of the 8th 100 , believers throughout Europe were pit the season with fiesta , drunkenness , and all - around debauchery . Here are some of the more colorful ways Christmas was celebrated in the Middle Ages .
1. WASSAILING
Wassailing was one of the many pagan usance adopt by Christmas revelers . The termwassailcomes from the Anglo - Saxon greetingwaes - hael , which think of “ be in good health . ” As the custom evolved , the Good Book became synonymous with the raging excogitate apple cyder drink dish out during Yuletide . caroler would take their wassail bowl threshold - to - threshold , offer a deglutition and a song in substitution for gifts . While the custom of caroling at Christmas still persists today , modern singing troupes usually allow the John Barleycorn at home .
2. SACRIFICING BOARS
People living in the Middle Ages could n’t plunk up a ham from the supermarket for Christmas , so they did the next right thing : They sacrificed a furious boar . If you wanted to impress your guest around the holiday , nothing was more striking than thehead of a boarpresented with an apple in its mouth on a silver platter . Of of course , not every family could open to serve a Yule wild boar at their Christmas dinner party . For family that were less well off , apiein the physique of a pig was a popular option .
3. KING OF THE BEAN
4. JULEBUKKING
reckon deception - or - treating , only creepier , and you ’ll have a good idea of what julebukking was like . As is the instance today with Halloween , Scandinavians celebrating Christmas in the Middle Ages woulddon masksand costumes and go room access - to - door look for treats . But the julebukkers were n’t cunning nipper : They were usually drunk adults . The practice is n’t as popular as it was in medieval times , but it ’s still note by someNorwegiansand evenAmericansof Norse descent .
5. MYSTERY PLAYS
Mystery playswere a popular form of entertainment for mediaeval audiences around the winter holidays . Actors , usually man of the cloth , execute story from the Bible in either traditional Latin or the common lingo . No story was off - limits , with the end of days and King Herod ’s slaughter of the innocents playing out on the same stagecoach as the Nativity ( though having monk stand in forevil characterslike Lucifer did raise some eyebrows ) .
6. GIVING GIFTS TO RICH PEOPLE
Today , gift - gift is an chance to encourage goodwill and generosity around the holidays . In the Middle Ages , it was a way to exploit the poor . Kings and queens throughout Europerequired tributesfrom their subjects on Christmas in the spirit of the three Magi giving gifts to infant Jesus . Soon , lower - ranking noblemen likelords of manorsstarted requesting their own gift . Even though they were the poor people in the kingdom , the peasants received nothing in return . consort to legend , the 10th one C Bohemian duke Wenceslas I ( posthumously elevated to Riley B King ) was among the first rulers to reverse the tendency when he spend the vacation handing out intellectual nourishment , wearing apparel , and firewood to the less golden .
7. LORD OF MISRULE
If you want your holiday party to run more swimmingly ( or less smoothly , depend on how you look at it ) , consider constitute a Lord of Misrule . Traditionally , this person was task with supervise theFeast of Fools : an early - wintertime holiday that flip the normal social hierarchy upside down . After he was elect , the Lord of Misrule and his royal court of merrymakersparaded down the streetwearing masque and playing instrument . The procession ended at church where the fools interrupted whatever divine service was get going on by bringing their song and dance indoors . The turn - one rule during the fiesta was to obey the Lord of Misrule . Fortunately for revelers , most of his commands affect drinking more and having play .
8. GAMBLING
Gambling was right up there with feeding , singing , and drinking at the Christmas parties of the Middle Ages . Bothkids and adultstook part in the bodily process , and even if gaming was n’t a part of their spirit , people made an exception for the wintertime holidays . The most democratic games involveddice , and role player fuddle them down on any surface they could regain , includingchurch altars .
