12 Days of a Tudor Christmas Giveaway Day 9

Day 9

Day 8 winner is: Scott. Please email your mailing address to:
newroyalreviews at yahoo dot com

I loved reading your versions of Henry & his 6 wives Christmas list.

Henry was known for his opulence and Christmas was no exception. In Tudor England, Christmas was a twelve-day festival which reached it’s end on Twelfth Night, January 6, which was the Feast of Epiphany.

Those 12 days consisted of feasts, banquets, pageants, disguises, and all sorts of merry making which was presided over by the Lord of Misrule, or the Master of Merry Disports along with his train of heralds, fools in fancy dress, and magicians all making marry.

Henry VIII also observed the mediaeval custom of appointing a boy bishop to take the place of his senior chaplain: at Windsor, he once rewarded a lad called Nicholas with 10 marks for taking this role.

Court was filled during Christmas and this was the only time when rank was replaced with merriment. Like many homes, the royal palaces were decked out with holly, ivy, and any thing green the season had to offer. The Yule log crackled, carols were sung, dances were performed, wassail was drank,  and the public were allowed in to watch.

On Twelfth Night extravagant gifts were exchanged. Here is a record of some of the gifts the King received in 1534.

By the Queen. A goodly gilt bason, having a rail or board of gold in the midst of the brim, garnished with rubies and pearls, wherein standeth a fountain, also having a rail of gold about it garnished with diamonds; out thereof issueth water, at the teats of three naked women standing at the foot of the same fountain.

Dukes and Earls. As in list for 1532. Suffolk's gift is a book garnished with gold, having therein a clock

The abbot of Glastonbury, the prior of Tynnemouth, Dr. Rawson and the princcss's schoolmaster omitted. “By Layland, priest, two books of stories, with the King's grace.”

Among them occur a silver gilt compass, 69¾ oz., a goodly table of Hercules, a table of Our Lord, a tablet of gold with an antike face, a prymer of written hand in vellum, a goodly clock, an “esposier” of gold with a chain, a goodly table of St. Jerome, a tablet of gold with a device of Venus and Cupidoo, two “seviettes” and a marmoset.*

*The above mentioned items were taken directly from the Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 7: 1534

1-Bring in a sprig of Holly. (One of the many Druidic practices that was adopted by the Tudor court)
2- Send a card. Although Christmas Cards did not exist in Tudor times, they did send out poems at this time of year.
2-Carol to your hearts content. The first collection of Christmas Carols was published in 1521 and the Tudor era is responsible for several well known Christmas carols, such as ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’, ‘The Coventry Carol’, and ’The First Noel’. ’What Child Is This’ borrowed the music of ‘Greensleeves’.
3-Bake gingerbread or gingerbread men. Gingerbread was often requested by Henry VIII, while his was the same standard recipe that is made today, his gingerbread was a bit more grand as it was covered with gold. Elizabeth I was the first monarch to have eaten a gingerbread man.

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For today’s gift there will be two prizes and two winner. One giveaway is WORLDWIDE & one is US ONLY, please make your comment accordingly.

The First Giveaway is WORLDWIDE and is:

The Tudor Age by Jasper Ridley.

The Second Giveaway is US ONLY and is:

The Tudor Throne by Brandy Purdy.

A brilliant portrait of the rule of "Bloody Mary" and her intricate relationship with Elizabeth I, the adored "Virgin Queen," here is a riveting tale of one family's sordid and extraordinary chapter in the pages of history

I would like to thank Brandy for her donation of the book. If you would like to know more about Brandy, her novels or read her blog you may do so HERE.

Today’s Rules:

1. Leave a comment with your name and an answer to the questions:

What are your Holiday Traditions?

Tudor Trivia: Do you have a Tudor-related question? If so, then this is your time to ask it. Questions will be answered in the remaining posts.

2. Giveaway is US & Worldwide. PLEASE NOTE IF YOUR ARE IN THE US OR INTERNATIONAL AS THERE ARE TWO GIVEAWAYS.

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