Learn how the Tudors celebrated the season
Ever wondered how mistletoe became a festive staple? Where your Christmas turkey tradition dates from? This year, Hampton Court Palace has some of the answers, as it welcomes guests for a series of festive events.
Today, Christmas trees and fairy lights decorate the courtyards, hallways and gardens of the palace but this was not as it was in the time of Henry VIII’s court.
Hampton Court Palace was the favoured residence of the infamous Tudor King, who during the festive period typically hosted over 1,000 guests to dine at his court.
Extravagant Christmas banquets were also hosted here by monarchs Elizabeth I and James I, and William Shakespeare staged a play for guests during the festivities in 1603.
However, Christmas trees had no place in the Tudor festive celebrations.
There is one isolated sixteenth-century record of a fir tree on a London street decorated with candles, but Christmas trees did not become popular in the UK until almost three hundred years later.
Instead, it was customary for Tudor homes to hang a wooden ‘kissing bough’ from the ceiling, made of evergreens such as holly, bay, and mistletoe. This decoration is where we get today’s tradition of kissing under the mistletoe from.
Christmas dinner traditions have also changed since Tudor times but some things on the menu may sound similar.
The kitchen team at the Palace will be running demonstrations in Henry VIII’s kitchens, showing visitors the festive flavours and seasonal spices enjoyed in the royal building centuries ago.
Dishes like plum pudding and mince pies might sound familiar to us today, however, the Tudor versions were not the fruit-filled desserts we enjoy at Christmas. Both, in fact, included meat, and plum pudding was eaten as a pre-meal appetiser. Mince pies were very large, and had to be consumed with a spoon, since it was considered bad luck to cut them with a knife.
Turkeys were first brought to England in the Tudor period, with records dating their arrival to 1526.
By the end of the period, turkey was often seen on the Tudor banquet table. However, it was still brawn (a pig’s head) dusted with flour to look like snow, that was the centrepiece of a Christmas spread.
The Tudors had their own version of Father Christmas, who appeared in folk plays of the period. However, this ‘Father Christmas’ was a violent character who stormed about the stage with a club in hand, and wore a green outfit with a grotesque mask and wig.
The more important role in the King’s court at Christmas was the ‘Lord of Misrule’ or ‘Captain Christmas’. This official title would be given to a trusted courtier, who would arrange and direct the Christmas arrangements, and ensure all guests were involved in the entertainment.
For some contemporary hijinks, the ice rink at Hampton Court’s Tudor West Front, which is open until 5 January 2025 is a good option.
Although this ice rink, complete with festive music and colourful lighting, may appear to be a thoroughly modern installation, the so-called Tudor ‘Little Ice Age’ allowed for similar winter activities to take place.
Winters were so cold that the Thames would often freeze over, and when this happened, the river would become a fairground. Market sellers would set up ‘frost fairs’ on the frozen river, with skating, food, sports and games.
In 1536, temperatures were so low that Henry VIII was supposedly able to travel on a horse-drawn sleigh down the River Thames from central London to Greenwich Palace.
The annual Festive Fayre will also be back at Hampton Court from 6-8 and 13-15 December, with over 100 independent artisan producers bringing stalls to the Palace gardens.
Whilst some of our Christmas traditions have changed since the days of Henry VIII, at Hampton Court Palace, it is still possible to skate, shop and eat in a way that the Tudors might have recognised.
Tickets to the palace are available here.
