The History of Christmas: Day 9 – Lord of the Misrule (1550 CE) December 20, 2012

The History of Christmas
Day 9: Lord of the Misrule – 1550 CE

The crowning of a Lord of the Misrule has come a long way since the celebration founded in ancient Ur. In the England of the middle ages, it has taken on the spirit of Mardi Gras as celebrated today. In Scotland they called it, “The Abbot of Unreason.”  In France, it became “Prince de Sots.”  The customs and revelry changed from country to country, but the substance remained the same:  Take over a religious or municipal building.  Decorate.  Crown the Lord of Misrule.  Eat.  Drink.  Sing. Carry on to the utmost.  Let the celebration spill out onto the streets.  Knock on doors, singing, laughing and encouraging the people inside to join in the celebration.  Anything goes! And a good time was had by all.

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January, 1550
London, England

Dearest Mary,

How I wish you could have spent Christmas with James and I this year. Such excitement. Did I tell you we planned to invade St. Paul’s to crown the Lord of Misrule? It was the perfect place to celebrate Christmas.

After morning mass in the choir, we went downstairs to the merchant’s stalls and were able to purchase everything we needed for misrule. We decorated the old hall with greens, candles and finery and laid out enough food for the full twelve courses on the wood alter at the front. The huge Yule candle was placed right in the center. Lloyd found a chair that looked like a throne and we bought barrels of ale and tons of food, all without having to leave the old church.

The people started showing up at midday. By the time the Lord of Misrule was crowned, there must have been close to a thousand people in the old church. Everyone was singing and playing music and games and laughing. I must admit I had much too much to drink myself. I even played Hoodman’s Bluff and Hot Cockles. You would have laughed at me.

After the Christmas Threshold, in which Frank played the lucky bird, we were all commanded to parade through the streets. The mummers went with us, which meant even more singing and music. Before we left the church, James and I swapped clothing. Oh the laughter! Mary I can’t begin to tell you when I had such fun. How I do wish you would have made it to London with your John. He would have looked so silly wearing one of your high waisted gowns. Can you imagine?

Carrying the wassail was ingenious. We trooped from pubs to elegant homes singing:

Come bring, with a noise,
My merrie, merrie boys,
The Christmas log to the firing;
While my good dame she
Bids ye all be free
And drink to your heart’s desiring.

They opened their doors to us and gave us their choicest food and drink, Mary, and reveled with us. Some even joined the troop and shared our wassail. It was the finest of merriment. James gave me the twelve kisses when we found some hanging mistletoe. All for fun. All for fun.

I’ll tell you more when we meet in the New Year.

Your sister,

Anne

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While the drinking, carousing, and mumming, might sound more like our celebration of New Years, it fits if you look at the week from Christmas on as one holiday, which in reality it is. Many people take off from work for the entire week, and schools are closed. One must remember that this is the way the religious holiday of Christmas came to be celebrated at this time and place.