Tudor xmas games

The popularity of the bird grew quickly, and soon, each year, large flocks of turkeys could be seen walking to London from Norfolk , Suffolk and Cambridgeshire on foot; a journey which they may have started as early as August. A Tudor Christmas Pie was indeed a sight to behold but not one to be enjoyed by a vegetarian.

The contents of this dish consisted of a Turkey stuffed with a goose stuffed with a chicken stuffed with a partridge stuffed with a pigeon. All of this was put in a pastry case, called a coffin and was served surrounded by jointed hare, small game birds and wild fowl.

Small pies known as chewets had pinched tops, giving them the look of small cabbages or chouettes. Pies for the Tudor Christmas table. And to wash it all down, a drink from the Wassail bowl. The bowl, a large wooden container holding as much as a gallon of punch made of hot-ale, sugar, spices and apples. This punch to be shared with friends and neighbours. How was Christmas celebrated in the Georgian and Regency era? Perhaps we can find out from the works of Jane Austen….

Christmas trees, carol singers, Christmas cards, Father Christmas and crackers — integral parts of a traditional Christmas, but why? The Victorians…. Pies for the Tudor Christmas table And to wash it all down, a drink from the Wassail bowl. Related articles. A Medieval Christmas. Landsknecht was another card game that was easy to play.

Primero and Taroccho were played with tarot cards. Chess was also pretty popular in the Tudor era, given that people played this game from the middle-ages.

The rules of the game, however, were significantly different from the rules today. In fact, from the mid to late fifteenth century, the queen, that was a weak piece went on to become the most powerful piece on the board. This change might be linked to the powerful women rulers who emerged in the medieval era, such as, Isabella of Castile and Anne of Beaujeu.

It was an integral part of court life. Woman of low character or a prostitute was called a drab. A drabber is someone who indulges in this activity.

Tennis was popular and was played indoor or in a high-walled outdoor court. Grass courts from The was is made of leather and stuffed with hair. Lawn bowling was another sport.

Pall Mall was popular in France and Scotland but was not played in England. Gambling was also extremely popular in the 15th and 26th century. While the government constantly tried to discipline the taverns and dicing houses, and stoping less reputable places from hosting gambling, people always crept into the dark alleys in search of dicing houses.

An Act was passed in stating that no farmer, artisan, fisherman, labourer, waterman were allowed to play unlawful games except during Christmas.

Games like bowls, dice, skittles were banned. However, it was hardly successful and the law was frequently breached.

Kids from rich families played billiards. Mary Queen of Scots was very fond of this game. During the reign of Elizabeth, the theatre gained great popularity. The famous Globe Theatre in London was designed to mimic the appearance of a bear pit, ensuring that everyone that attended could see what was going on the stage.

When the English weather proved too poor for outdoor pursuits such as hunting, activities were carried on indoors with games involving cards and dice. The Tudors believed that the new year began on March 25th and on this day held the Feast of Annunciation which celebrates the day when Mary was first told of the forthcoming birth of Jesus. The Queen, meanwhile, also received gifts in her own chamber. If the King accepted your gift you were held in favour — but if the King rejected your gift things were not looking good for you.

Henry and Anne would go on to wed the following year. Although impressive, Elizabeth rejected the gift as a sign of her displeasure with his actions; the Duke was executed on 2nd June But in , after presenting Elizabeth with a jewelled whip to show his subjection to her will, he regained royal favour once more. After being presented with a gift, the Monarch would give a gift in return and demonstrate their generosity by ensuring their gift was of more monetary value than that which they received.

The messengers that presented the gifts on behalf of their masters were also rewarded with money. A sliding scale determined how much the messenger received and depended on whether they were a knight, an esquire or an ordinary messenger. The Queen was also expected to give gifts to her ladies-in-waiting. In , Anne Boleyn gave her ladies palfreys and saddles.

On this occasion, Anne gave the King a silver gilt table fountain almost certainly designed by Holbein. The fountain was a pumped device which circulated rosewater into a basin so that diners could rinse their hands.

The custom of exchanging gifts at court served a political purpose. It was a way for the upper class to gain royal favour, to assert their status and show off their wealth by giving incredibly lavish gifts.

It was also a way for the Monarch to show their pleasure or displeasure by accepting or rejecting gifts. Epiphany is the day on which the three wise men visited the infant Jesus, but it also marked the end of a winter time festival that began on All Hallows Eve Halloween and was widely celebrated with feasting, parties, games and pranks. It was tradition for roles in society to be reversed for this short time, with the gentry and rich taking on the roles of servants, and serving the food at feasts to their staff.