Where the Middle Ages Begin
In the summer of 2013 the Rijksmuseum acquired a rare Late Gothic Christmas Crib (c. 1510-20). In the 15th century tangible aids – devotionalia – were promoted to support meditation, to accomplish as it were a link between God and the soul of the believer.
How did a 4th century bishop become the jolly man who comes down the chimney with gifts for children on Christmas?
Christmas has long been associated with gift giving, but one suspects that Asterius of Amasea would not like seeing all those presents under the Christmas tree!
The end of the year is a messy mixture of different celebrations. Whatever your personal or religious background, the original celebration was the winter solstice – celebrated by our ancestors for thousands of years. We take a look beyond modern history and find some interesting customs that have survived the test of time.
One of the most iconic traditions of Christmas is having a tree in your house, decorating it and placing the presents underneath. How early did this tradition begin?
Around the fourth century in what is now Turkey, a boy of humble circumstance became a man revered for his many virtues.
I would like to start with two responses to the performance of Christmas plays that provide some insight into their effect on the socialization of the Christian communities in which they were performed.
Scandinavian and Sicilian girls eagerly await the arrival of Saint Lucy on 13 December.
Take in this medieval play in Toronto on Friday December 13th and Saturday, December 14th
Apparently early carols could be quite lewd, and they were originally associated with dance as well as song.
In the Chronica majora, and its abbreviations, Paris opened each year with a description of how and where the king held Christmas.
The confluence of this evidence strongly suggests that the traditions associated with Kathisma church gave rise to the rather peculiar account of Christ’s Nativity found in the Quran.
Just as the company Christmas party can lead to embarrassing situations, some 15th century festivities could also lead to scandal.
Christmas in medieval Europe could include feasting, gambling, one-day marriages, boy bishops and trolls.
A Medieval Christmas: Go We hence to Bethlehem’s Bower – playing this weekend in Toronto
So what does a Christmas cookie from centuries ago look like? This time of year, a bakery in Pennsylvania Dutch country is busy making cookies the same way they were made in medieval Germany, and their edible pieces of art history have attracted customers from all over the globe.
This article grew out of a project with our drama students at Bergen University College, Norway, in December 2002. I wanted to introduce the students to pre-Christian roots of Yule, and to give them an historical introduction to extant dramatic/ritual Christmas customs in our country.
Richard and Anne’s first Christmas as king and queen in 1483 was happy, even though they were in London and their only son Edward had to remain at Middleham, too sickly to travel.
Henceforth, I became a snapper-up of everything relating to Christmastide, utilised every opportunity of searching libraries, bookstalls, and catalogues of books in different parts of the country…
Cards show a miniature of a bishop consecrating a church, and the decorated opening page of a special Mass celebrated during the Christmas season.
What are the origins of Christmas? How it was celebrated in the Middle Ages?
THE BIRTH OF SACRIFICE: ICONOGRAPHIC METAPHORS FOR SPIRITUAL REBIRTH IN MASTER MATTHIAS’ ISENHEIM ALTARPIECE Anderson Tuft, Katherine Master of Arts Thesis, Brigham Young University (December 2006) Abstract While little is known concerning the events surrounding the commission of the Isenheim Altarpiece or of the artist known to us as Master Matthias Grünewald, much can be ascertained about […]
Breikocher Josef: The Medieval Origins of a Grotesque Comic Motif in the German Christmas Play By Martin W. Walsh Paper presented at the 2004 SITM conference in Elx (2004) Introduction: In the 1557-59 supplement to Georg Wickram’s popular collection of comic stories, Das Rollwagenbüchlin (The Little Stagecoach Book) there is a tale entitled Von einem Weyhenacht […]
This study seeks to examine the popular customs of preindustrial Poland, in particular the festal food customs of the Wigilia supper, the primary ritual of the winter (Christmas) season.
The Christmas motif is readily observable in the poem’s externals, particulary in its setting and in the person of the Green Knight.
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