Tag Archives: music

Putting “Christ” back in Christmas, 13th cent.

Christmas was always a somewhat troubling holiday for really devout believers. It was a holiday for feasting and getting drunk, and many of the games veered quickly into lewdness (surely Blind Man’s Buff and Pin the Tail on the Donkey … Continue reading

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Medieval Christmas games

After a feast, when the food scraps and dishes were cleared away, it was time for games and dancing. Here’s where we have to admit that medieval games were a bit lame. It’s much nicer to explain that while we … Continue reading

Posted in Holidays | Tagged | Leave a comment

Life of a minstrel

For a medieval minstrel, this season, Lent, was the most critical time of year. During Lent, all entertainment stopped. But far from having nothing to do, minstrels spent these weeks at giant conventions, learning new material. They were the only … Continue reading

Posted in Medieval cycle of life | Tagged | Leave a comment