There's a lot! I was interested to see what patterns survived and what didn't. I do think there was more focus on community. I was listening to the BBC news saying that the number of 'young people ' spending Christmas alone has doubled since the 1960's - whatever that means! I felt for them as if there were plays and fun they may not be alone!
Steve Roud in his 'The English Year' notes that although mistletoe had featured along with all types of evergreens in the decoration of homes and streets at Christmas from at least the late 16th century the earliest reference to actually kissing under mistletoe is only from 1813. The idea of a bunch of mistletoe hung from the ceiling appears to be a simpler version of the far more elaborate 18th century 'Kissing Bough'.
The image of peasants carolling in a pewless church finally connect the word carol to the word coral for me. The image of horses running in circles in an enclosed menage melding with raucous tipsey peasants dancing.
Thank you, Alex. A fascinating episode, and great to see so much continuation of the Mediaeval Christmas in our Christmas and New Year today. We still do First Foot in our household, too!
Great vid, Alex, thanks for sharing! What surprises me most is how little things have changed in a lot of ways! Sounds like Christmas would be the easiest time of year for an unwitting time traveller from the present to be transported back to the middle ages after a bump on the head, we'd recognise a lot of the traditions and have half a chance of blending in and making friends if everyone was smashed and partying lol :D Seasons greetings to you and my fellow viewers! :)
Haha, I'm prolly from the middle ages myself because I had to google what a babel fish is :D Yeah that would be handy. Either that or if you accidentally bumped heads with Simon Roper off of RUclips and you both went back in time he could probably handle the interpreting issues :D
I notice you didn't mention Twelfth Night and the Lord of Misrule. Did this become more important in Tudor times? My Auntie Nora spent time in Australia with a lot of Scottish people and brought First Footing back to Yorkshire. I remember my sister, my cousin and I used to stand outside her door with coal, salt and bread and wait to hear the bells of Bradford City Hall strike 12 before going back in and wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Also my Dad was from County Durham and told us that on New Year's Eve children in his village used to go round singing 'Happy New Year, bottle's astir, please will you give us a New Year gift'.
@AnneDowson-vp8lg so, this episode was 42 minutes long. Some things ended up on the Cutting room floor because I was worried no one would watch 42 minutes of medieval Christmas ramblings!
@@AlexIlesUK what took them so long, and for how long did they have serfs and slaves there, not to mention slavery in their multiple colonies. Such great injustice...
So it was cultural from the Roman period, but Anglo-Saxon bishops got it abolished after the Norman invasion. It crept back in outside of England in from the 15th century onwards. It's a tragedy that it happened again.
Don't believe the hype - we were way better off under feudalism. More freedom, less work, better environment, bigger families and a rich lord responsibile for our wellbeing from crib to grave.
Shout out from Texas. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you too!
Another great upload. Thank you, Alex. Merry Christmas 🎁🎄
Merry Christmas to you too!
Another great episode.
It's great seeing how many of our traditions stem back from the medieval period.
There's a lot! I was interested to see what patterns survived and what didn't. I do think there was more focus on community. I was listening to the BBC news saying that the number of 'young people ' spending Christmas alone has doubled since the 1960's - whatever that means! I felt for them as if there were plays and fun they may not be alone!
@AlexIlesUK the thought of spending Christmas alone is horrific tbh. In no small way probably due to the rise of internet culture.
@adelwulf8864 I'm sure there's a lot of factors but I'm hopeful that people will grow together again!
Steve Roud in his 'The English Year' notes that although mistletoe had featured along with all types of evergreens in the decoration of homes and streets at Christmas from at least the late 16th century the earliest reference to actually kissing under mistletoe is only from 1813. The idea of a bunch of mistletoe hung from the ceiling appears to be a simpler version of the far more elaborate 18th century 'Kissing Bough'.
That's interesting, I'll look into that.
@AlexIlesUK a1
A1? The road?
@@AlexIlesUK
Oh dear!
The festivities have finally caught up with me - I've become incoherent.
@@AlexIlesUK
The 1813 reference is that year's edition of John Brand's 'Observations on the Popular Antiquities of Great Britain'.
The image of peasants carolling in a pewless church finally connect the word carol to the word coral for me. The image of horses running in circles in an enclosed menage melding with raucous tipsey peasants dancing.
I wouldn't say powerlessness but it's a funny image. The peasants weren't being sacrilegious, they wanted to celebrate in a place dear to them!
Thank you, Alex. A fascinating episode, and great to see so much continuation of the Mediaeval Christmas in our Christmas and New Year today. We still do First Foot in our household, too!
It's a traditional act that I think is so special and specific; just nice to see how some traditions are surviving!
Merry Christmas, Alex. Happy Soltice ✌️ All the best for 2025 🎄☘️
Thank you and Merry Christmas to you too!
Merry Christmas everyone xxx
Merry Christmas to you too!
Great vid, Alex, thanks for sharing! What surprises me most is how little things have changed in a lot of ways! Sounds like Christmas would be the easiest time of year for an unwitting time traveller from the present to be transported back to the middle ages after a bump on the head, we'd recognise a lot of the traditions and have half a chance of blending in and making friends if everyone was smashed and partying lol :D Seasons greetings to you and my fellow viewers! :)
I'd quite enjoy it, if I had a bable fish! I bet it would be more restful than modern Christmas In some ways!
Haha, I'm prolly from the middle ages myself because I had to google what a babel fish is :D Yeah that would be handy. Either that or if you accidentally bumped heads with Simon Roper off of RUclips and you both went back in time he could probably handle the interpreting issues :D
@thorisrain ah yes it's a Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy reference! I'm slightly nerdy if you haven't noticed!
I notice you didn't mention Twelfth Night and the Lord of Misrule. Did this become more important in Tudor times? My Auntie Nora spent time in Australia with a lot of Scottish people and brought First Footing back to Yorkshire. I remember my sister, my cousin and I used to stand outside her door with coal, salt and bread and wait to hear the bells of Bradford City Hall strike 12 before going back in and wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Also my Dad was from County Durham and told us that on New Year's Eve children in his village used to go round singing 'Happy New Year, bottle's astir, please will you give us a New Year gift'.
@AnneDowson-vp8lg so, this episode was 42 minutes long. Some things ended up on the Cutting room floor because I was worried no one would watch 42 minutes of medieval Christmas ramblings!
Happy Christmas Alex! Love your vids!
Thanks Eve Merry Christmas!
Hope you have a fantastic Christmas 🎄 & looking forward to more in 2025!
Merry Christmas to you too!
I’m from Workington (coincidentally) and uppies and downies is played at Easter in Workington (45 minute drive from Carlisle, nowhere near really)
It does pop up everywhere. Great game!
I read slaves had sunday off.
Serfs, Slavery was banned in England in the 11th century. Merry Christmas!
@@AlexIlesUK what took them so long, and for how long did they have serfs and slaves there, not to mention slavery in their multiple colonies. Such great injustice...
So it was cultural from the Roman period, but Anglo-Saxon bishops got it abolished after the Norman invasion. It crept back in outside of England in from the 15th century onwards. It's a tragedy that it happened again.
What was ratio of serfs to independent small farmers
(yeomen)?
Serfs seemed to morph under
capitalism into tenant farmers
(& share croppers?)
Medieval ban vs. slavery perhaps
helped 17 1800s abolition of slavery movement as a previous
example?
Don't believe the hype - we were way better off under feudalism. More freedom, less work, better environment, bigger families and a rich lord responsibile for our wellbeing from crib to grave.
👍🏻
great video
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
@@AlexIlesUK Merry Christmas