One tradition was the practice of electing a choir boy or alter boy as “boy bishop”. Hi Carla – happy you liked my article – thank you. My son […] Read more », Tweet I will be presenting a couple of talks in October this year – my first lecture is about Regency Fashion – my second lecture is a entertaining, lively and informative Tudor Talk with Costume […] Read more », Tweet Join me Julia Soares-McCormick for an entertaining, lively and informative talk demonstrating the design and construction of my handmade reproduction gowns, and a brief history of the people who wore them, including Elizabeth I, […] Read more », Copyright © 2021 Julia Renaissance Costumes. Well prepared. Perhaps the best example of this occurred in 1532 when Henry VIII accepted an exotic set of richly decorated Pyrenean boar spears as a New Year’s present from Anne Boleyn but rejected Katherine of Aragon’s gold cup. King Henry VIII banned this practice in 1541 because it was mocking church authorities and the head of the church who was Henry. Be warned though that early descriptions sound nothing like what we enjoy with brandy butter. Just wanted to say this is an excellent post! Remove from … Henry VIII and his daughter Queen Elizabeth I consistently rose to the fashion-occasion as well. Categories: Talks for Groups - Tags: A Tudor Christmas, A Tudor Pie, An Elizabethan Christmas, Henry VIII at Christmas, Tudor Christmas, Tudor Christmas Decorations, Tudor Festivities. Cakes were made, including the Twelfth Cake. A popular vegetable for the Christmas menu were Brussel sprouts, they were first mentioned in recipes around 1587. It provided them with an opportunity to wear their most fabulous and finest costumes. We are doing A Tudor Christmas this year, the four grandchildren aged 6 and 3, a double brace, are fascinated. One of the games the Tudors would have been familiar with was Blind Man’s Bluff! We all had the same strong reaction – yuck! A Tudor Christmas Pie consisted of a Turkey stuffed with a goose  – then stuffed with a chicken – then stuffed with a partridge and finally stuffed with a pigeon – all of this was put in a pastry case, called a cheerfully – a coffin! Another Christmas tradition was ‘Mumming’ the performance of plays. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It included Anne’s device  –  a white falcon standing on roses. They placed the filling in the pastry and Theo placed the lid on the top. Lambswool was a drink made from roasted apples, beer, nutmeg, ginger and sugar  – the froth on the top of the drink gave this beverage its name. Renaissance costume design, fashion shows and educational presentations. We packaged up a large piece of pie and in the spirit of the season took it to Theo’s best friend who lives around the corner. In this case they decided that the Tudor shred pie wasn’t for them but they have agreed to try a few more historical dishes before they completely make up their minds. Practical activities are always very successful learning tools for us when it comes to studying history. It contained rosewater pumped into a basin so that diners could rinse their hands. Prick top crusts with a fork. A very interesting and informative article. The Tudor banquets were very lavish affairs – as many as 24 courses were included. He was like a mock King – he would oversee unruly events and all types of entertainment. Therefore it was deemed illegal to paint a picture of Jesus being bathed by his parents. Being able to sample the tastes of a past age momentarily places them in that time period giving them a glimpse of the way their ancestors might have lived. During this period rejection or acceptance of a gift was extremely important at the Tudor court. As part of this they decided to make a shred pie – the forerunner of the mince pies we eat today. Raised with … That is the poor people’s clothes not the available smart rich peoples! We aren’t entirely sure whether he was just being incredibly polite or genuinely liked the flavour – either way at least we shared a little of the Tudor way of life with friends. Fill each circle with the mincemeat. I am becoming a fan of the Tudors and yes I think you are right about their Christmases being fun. Both Oxford and Cambridge colleges employed travelling players in their productions during the 16th Century. It’s very nearly Christmas, so in today’s Claire Chats talk, I’m going to talk about the different meats that were eaten at Christmas in Tudor times, as well as explaining about the Tudor Christmas Pie. I can really go to town now . These will have been enjoyed by such famous historical  figures as King Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn and their daughter Queen Elizabeth I. I publish this article every year at the festive season for anyone who missed it! Spinning which was the major occupation of women was stopped and their spinning wheels were surrounded by flowers. A wild boar was cooked on Christmas Day in the homes of the wealthy and its head was also used as a table decoration. On Christmas Day the monarch took part in the traditional “laying on of hands” – this ritual transferred the King’s “healing” power to those afflicted with skin ailments or illness. Shame it didn’t taste so good. They make pastry quite often with me so this was an easy part of the pie making for them. Cut the pastry into mini circles and place one in each section of the muffin tin. People who were normally tightly controlled were given an amount of freedom. Directions: 1. All courtiers were required to attend the festivities at Court. Tradition was to skin the bird first, it was cooked and the meat was placed back into the skin to create a decoration for the table. The Tudors also ate mince pies that were shaped like a cribs (this practice was outlawed when Oliver Cromwell came to power as it was deemed blasphemous)! The only acceptable excuses for a not appearing during this period were severe illness, war, crusades and childbirth. The poorer courtiers had to try their best to maintain a glamorous image – obviously no-one dare outshine the King or Queen. The cooking make the meat pale so the head was decorated with pigs grease and soot so it would more lifelike! She was a very important guest at a number of Henry VIII’s Christmas Courts however she was conspicuously absent from the formal celebrations. To help them understand the world Shakespeare inhabited we have been immersing ourselves in Tudor history and this week we have been looking at a Tudor Christmas. Thank you for your post – it is very interesting – particularly to me as I love ‘The Tudors’. Very interesting!! It’s great to find out what the ‘Tudors’ did at Christmas. Wonderful article! IN 1521 the earliest recorded published collection of Carols was recorded – they include the famous ‘Boars Head Carol’. During the celebration of the Twelve Days of Christmas the nobles and rich courtiers were lavishly costumed to play their part in the court drama. The baby was named after King Henry VIII –  he was so happy he extended the Christmas court to include a grand tournament and pageant at Westminster. The purpose of the Tudor Christmas was that “Christmas acted as a kind of pressure-release valve in the very strict Tudor society. We might not have had any gold leaf but they managed to decorate the pie beautifully using pastry patterns. A wonderful blog that brings many aspects our our research together. The shocking secrets of the Tudor Christmas dinner - BBC Food In 1534 Anne Boleyn presented Henry with a table fountain made of silver gilt. In the 1520’s Henry VIII had fallen in love with Anne Boleyn and she became his official mistress. They mixed all the ingredients together in a big bowl after Theo carefully measured out the correct quantities. After half an hour in the oven their Tudor creation was ready and it really looked good. This was to show the boy the honour and dignity of Holy Orders. Costumes included Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots in her execution gown. During the Tudor reign the plays also started to include various games as well as song and dance. Twelfth cake was a fruitcake eaten on twelfth night. The King expected and was given a gift from everyone of any importance and a gift would be given in return. I sometimes wonder how different history may have been if this prince has lived longer than a few weeks! Queen Katherine of Aragon for the sake of appearances appeared beside Henry at the Christmas celebrations through 1530. The Tudors also had their Family Coat of Arms made from salads which accompanied the meal. 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