by Rishiali

Created on: December 13, 2008   Last Updated: March 29, 2009

A lot of Christmas traditions today like the Christmas tree and decorations are actually medieval traditions for the winter solstice celebrated by the Pegans! The Christmas Tree was later adopted by the church and decorated with apples which they called Adam and Eve Apples as Christmas Eve was called Adam And Eve Day. Even traditional Christmas Meals are from medieval backgrounds. The Christmas Goose and Christmas Pudding are very good example of these. We all know that song the 12 Days Of Christmas, well that was a game in medieval times, a game set by oppressed Catholics during the Reformation in England.

But with all that set aside, what would a Medieval Christmas be like? What would have been their traditions? Well lets see, Christmas Eve , the father and his oldest son would set out into the woods and find themselves a tree, nothing to big and fancy, it must be small enough for both men to manage yet still give that warm feeling in side. Taking the tree back, the family pitched in decorating it. Decorations were made of wood, carved into different shapes, and other crude simple stuff. They then hung up their stocking in preparations for the arrival of Father Christmas. Dinner and they were off to bed.

The family was up early kids propping through their gifts that Santa had brought them. The rest of the family exchanged gifts they spent painful hours making. Mom and her daughter would be in the kitchen most of the day, getting the goose ready, preparing potatoes, pudding, pies etc. While this was being done the men would be out shoveling out some of the snow, tending to the life stock, gathering wood and other stuff. Its getting late now, its too cold to bathe so the family washed up and changed their clothes to gather around the table. They sit arm in arm giving thanked for this day and the meal, after which dad carved the turkey and the family feasted.

After dinner dad made sure the fire was very warm, there was a blizzard outside so they all sat round the fire place cuddled in blankets and each other love. Mom begun singing Silent Night as she has done many years before. The family pitched in. After a few carols dad begun his stories of St Nick, and Christmas miracles of the past. They sit together the better part of the night all taken up in each other until they fall asleep.

As we can see the traditions are basically the same, except a few things might have changed like what we use to keep it. The tree, The decorations, The Feast, The Pudding, The Pies its all there. And the major part that still remains is the family being together, we just don't make gifts anymore, we buy them. We don't use a fireplace anymore. we use heaters. But its still Christmas and the same traditions that were used in the past are the same ones today and to be the same ones in years to come.

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