Twelve Days of Tudor Christmas

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

I have to admit I love the Lucy Worsley documentaries about British Royals.  I think the first one I saw was on Henry VIII’s six wives, but I have since seen several others, courtesy of PBS and sometimes BPL (Bristol Public Library, of course) and enjoyed each one.  I like Worsley’s enthusiasm for her topics, and as a historian herself, I feel I can give more credence to her statements.  At the very least, she will have evidence to back them up, as opposed to someone who is just reading the statements supplied by the script.  She is also the Chief Curator for the Royal Palaces, including the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace, so she has some hands-on experience.

This year I re-watched (and re-re-watched) her presentation of “Twelve Days of Tudor Christmas.”  Yes, these are the fabled Twelve Days of Christmas, starting on December 25 and continuing to January 6. In this presentation, she demonstrates how Henry VIII would have celebrated.  I was vaguely familiar with some of the customs, such as the Lord of Misrule or mumming, but there was a lot that was new.

Then as now, food was an important part of the celebration and we get to see the sorts of dishes that Henry would have enjoyed.  Worsley gamely (pun somewhat intended) samples boar and beer (without that foreign, unwholesome addition of hops), participates in entertainment, and explains the rules of gift-giving.  (Hint:  probably a good idea to give Henry a really nice present. Anne Boleyn nailed it.)

There’s also some information on how the non-royals observed the holidays, including decorating with greenery and the seasonal interaction between landlord and tenant. These could be very precise— it was a contract, in fact, with a list of what the landlord would give and what the tenant would give in return. 

But the bulk of the program covers Christmas as celebrated at Court, with most of the participants appearing in period appropriate costume.  The show was also filmed on-site at still functional kitchens at Hampton Court and at the palace.  It’s also very much centered on Henry, drawing from his detailed household records to paint a picture of the holiday. 

That’s a lot of ground to cover in less than an hour, so if I have a criticism it is that it should have been longer.  It was also a lot to absorb, so I watched it three times.  I would get distracted by looking at the costumes or gawping at the boar’s head dish and miss some (to me) fascinating tidbit. I will never think of Boar’s Head brand meat in quite the same way again. . . .

If you enjoy Christmas or Tudor lore, this is the show for you!