Christmas Dinner Auld Lang Syne: Rediscovering the Preparations and Components of Christmas Dinner in Late Medieval and Early Modern England
Presentation Type
Historical Research
Release Option
Event
Description
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Abstract
Christmas is one of the world’s most celebrated holidays, but it hardly resembles itself from five hundred or more years ago. To have a more complete picture of how Christmas-specifically Christmas dinner in England during the Late Medieval and Early Modern era-would have looked so long ago, this paper looks at the various aspects of preparing for the winter Christian holidays. Costs played a significant role in who was able to afford a feast season that lasted for nearly two weeks and what would be eaten during that time. By the Early Modern period, England had been experiencing social unrest and a floundering economy. Then this paper discusses seasonally available food and a few of the food items that would have graced the tables of nobility. The changes between Catholicism and the Reformation impacted Christmas, which is briefly touched on. By the end of this paper, the reader will not only have basic knowledge that Christmas was different five hundred or more years ago, they will also be able to discuss differences and hold a deeper understanding of one of the world’s biggest holidays.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Cathy Skidmore-Hess
Department of Primary Presenter's Major
Department of History
Location
Room 1020
Symposium Year
2023
Christmas Dinner Auld Lang Syne: Rediscovering the Preparations and Components of Christmas Dinner in Late Medieval and Early Modern England
Room 1020
Christmas is one of the world’s most celebrated holidays, but it hardly resembles itself from five hundred or more years ago. To have a more complete picture of how Christmas-specifically Christmas dinner in England during the Late Medieval and Early Modern era-would have looked so long ago, this paper looks at the various aspects of preparing for the winter Christian holidays. Costs played a significant role in who was able to afford a feast season that lasted for nearly two weeks and what would be eaten during that time. By the Early Modern period, England had been experiencing social unrest and a floundering economy. Then this paper discusses seasonally available food and a few of the food items that would have graced the tables of nobility. The changes between Catholicism and the Reformation impacted Christmas, which is briefly touched on. By the end of this paper, the reader will not only have basic knowledge that Christmas was different five hundred or more years ago, they will also be able to discuss differences and hold a deeper understanding of one of the world’s biggest holidays.
