The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-12-25
AN OlD-TIME CHRISTMAS.
The Feastings, Games and Pastimes OF
Three Hundred Years Ago.


| Three Hundred Years Ago.
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centu-
ries this whole season was given up to
revels and jollity, in which eating and
drinking had prominent part. In
London in the fifteenth century the first
duty of the Lord Mayor and corpora
ton was to dine, and then 60, as soberly
as might be, to the Church of st. Thomas
Aeon, and sit through the whole service.
On other festival days and Sundays
they had habit of skipping out after
the prayers were under way, but on
Christmas they were bound to set an
example of perseverance. Service over,
their wOrships rode on horseback, by
torch-light, through the market OF
Chepe and back to the church, where,
being in liberal frame &C mind on ac-
count of the day and the good dinner.
they made a money offering to the
church. Each man contributed the
magnificent sum of one penny to its
treasury! This duty done, they re-
turned to their own houses, and made
more or less night of it, after the i'm
memorial manner of good city fathers,
in private, the custom not hav-
ing yet arisen of manifesting
happiness by painting the town
red" We read a good deal about
the excess of the Christmas dinners.
Sir John Reresby in his memoirs makes
a penitential note of a dinner at Thyr-
berg in 1851: The Earl of Huntington
my Lord Ellend, and some others dincd
with me, when VIC ended the year in
more than an ordinary debauch; which.
God forgive me! it being neither my
custom nor inclination much to do so. y"
The next year there was at table Mr.
Bolton, an ingenious clergyman, but too
much good fellow" The good fellows
liked Thyrberg; during the holidays as
many as foreScore gentlemen and yeo-
men, with their wives, dined daily at
the hall.
Christmas was always a democratic
festival; all classes mingled in the games
and merriment, and hospitality was
universal. An English gentleman in
the country. on Christmas Day in the
morning, had all his tenants and neigh
bors enter the hall by daybreak. The
strong beer was broached. and the
black-iacks went plentifully round.
with toast, sugar, nutmeg, and good
Cheshire cheese. The great sausage
(the Hacking must be boiled at day
break, and if it failed to be ready, two
Young men must take the maiden ii. e.,
the cook by the arm and run her round
the market place till she was ashamed
of her lazinesS. The maids had,
however, some privileges OF
retort. In some places in OXfordshire
it was the custom for the maid-Servant
to ask the man for ivy to dress the
house, and if the man refused or neg
lected to fetch the ivy, the maid stole a
pair of his breeches and nailed them up
to the gate in the garden or highway.
During the festival days the tables were
perpetually spread; the sirloin of beef,
the minced-pie, the plum-porridge, tur-
keys, geese and plum-puddingS, were
all brought upou the board at once, and
every one ate heartily and was well
come, so that the proverb originated of
'''Tis merry in hall when boards wag
ALL" The gentlemen went to early serv-
ice in the church, and returned to
breakfast on Drawn and mustard and
malmsey. Drawn was dish of great
antiquity. 1t was made from the flesh
of large boars which lived in a half
wild-state, and when put to fatten were
strapped and belted tight round the
carcass, in order to make the flesh be-
come dense and brawny. II came to
market in rolls two feet long by ten
inches in diameter. packed in wicker
baskets. At dinner the first course
served was the boar's head, On silver
platter. adorned with bays and rose
mary. carried into the hall with much
state, preceded by the Master of Revels,
and followed by chOristerS and min
Strels singing and playing compositions
in its honor. A StanZa of a common
carol sung was this:
'eThen sett downc the swiueyard,
The foe to the vineyard,
Lett Bacchus crown his fail:
Lett this boare head and mustard
Stand for pigg, goose and cuStard,
And so you are welcome all.
Another dish. common to Shakes
peare's day. which added at least to the
show of the feast, was the stately pye."
that is, a peacock or pheasant pie. In
the days of chivalry the knights took
their vows at a solemn feast, on preSen-
tation of a roasted peacock in a golden
dish. This custom was kept up at
Christmas BY the bringing in on the
most magnificent dish the house could
afford, of peacock in a pie, preserving
as much as possible. the form of the
bird, with the head elevated above the
crust, the beak richly gilt, and the
beautiful tail spread out to its full eX-
tent. 1t was from this superb dish that
the oath came, by cock and pye. sir. >
At the supper two servants attended.
bearing fair torches of wax next before
the musicians and the trumpeters, and
they stood above the fire (the fire of sea-
coal being originally in the middle of
the room) with the musicians till the
first course was served, when they re-
tired. with the music, to the buttery.
After supper, as well as before, there
were revels and dancing during the
twelve days of Christmas, and games in
which all classes Joined. One of the IA
vorite games was known as snapdragon.
Brandy was set on fire and raisins
thrown into it. The diversion consisted
of adventures TO pluck out the raisins.
The Master of the Revels sang song or
carol, in which the gentlemen took part
at his command.
The requisites for good Christmas
fare were plenty of good drink, blaz-
ing fire in the hall, Drawn, pudding and
souse. and mustard with all mustard
is your great provoker of a noble thirst,
beef, mutton and pork, shred or mince
pies of the best, pig, veal, goose, capon,
turkey. cheese, apples and nuts, with
Jolly carols. When the company tired
of games and romping sports, it gath