Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

The REAL Twelve Days of Christmas

Listen Later
Did you know the Tudors didn’t end Christmas on 25th December… they started it?

I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s episode of my Tudor Christmas Advent series, we’re walking through the true Twelve Days of Christmas,  a world of church services, feasts, fasting, wine, charity, misrule, and community traditions that modern Christmas barely resembles.

In this video, you’ll learn:
  • Why Christmas Day was all about worship — not feasting
  • Why no work (not even spinning!) was allowed throughout the 12 days
  • How St Stephen’s Day involved charity… AND horse-bleeding and hunting
  • Why 27 December was the Tudor excuse for endless wine
  • Why Childermas was the most solemn, and sometimes unsettling, day
  • Why New Year’s Day gift-giving was the most political moment of the season
  • How Twelfth Night was celebrated
  • Why the fun abruptly ended with Plough Monday and St Distaff’s Day
    • This is the Christmas season the Tudors actually lived — rich, ritual-filled, joyful, sometimes strange, and endlessly fascinating.

    If you’re enjoying my Tudor Advent series, please like, subscribe, and ring the bell, there’s more Tudor Christmas magic every day until 24 December!

    #TudorChristmas #12DaysOfChristmas #TudorHistory #ChristmasTraditions #ClaireRidgway #HistoryYouTube #MedievalChristmas #TwelfthNight #StStephensDay #Childermas #PloughMonday
    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    Tudor History with Claire RidgwayBy Claire Ridgway
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7

    4.7

    68 ratings

    More shows like Tudor History with Claire Ridgway

    View all
    Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors by Heather Teysko

    Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the Tudors

    538 Listeners

    Rex Factor by Rex Factor

    Rex Factor

    938 Listeners

    Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

    Dan Snow's History Hit

    4,777 Listeners

    Queens Podcast by Queens Podcast

    Queens Podcast

    1,409 Listeners

    Tudors Dynasty & Beyond by RedTop Media / Rebecca Larson

    Tudors Dynasty & Beyond

    740 Listeners

    Talking Tudors by Natalie Grueninger

    Talking Tudors

    737 Listeners

    Historic Royal Palaces Podcast by Historic Royal Palaces

    Historic Royal Palaces Podcast

    470 Listeners

    British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics by Carol Ann Lloyd

    British History: Royals, Rebels, and Romantics

    165 Listeners

    Gone Medieval by History Hit

    Gone Medieval

    1,885 Listeners

    Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

    Not Just the Tudors

    2,059 Listeners

    Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society by History Hit

    Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

    1,386 Listeners

    History Tea Time by Lindsay Holiday

    History Tea Time

    512 Listeners

    The Tudor Chest Podcast by Adam Pennington

    The Tudor Chest Podcast

    90 Listeners

    After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal by History Hit

    After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

    1,115 Listeners

    Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things by Daily Mail

    Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things

    163 Listeners