DISCUSSION

Christmas was one festival season at which liturgical drama might be performed. The kind of "plays" referred to here, however, are unlikely to have been of that type – unless perverted or profaned in form. It seems more probable that those being banned were rather some kind of revelry – the predecessor to masques – tomfoolery, or just plain rowdiness, perhaps distantly inspired by the religious plays, but considered by the authorities inappropriate for Christmas. The passage suggests that Christmas was already taking on celebratory features in the modern sense.

Mummery in particular was a characteristic of "misrule", a concept closely associated with Christmas. In a mayoral order sent to the aldermen on 13 December 1405, they were reminded to keep a well-armed night-watch patrolling the streets throughout the Christmas season, with special instructions to arrest anyone going about wearing a mask or a false face, and to ensure each house had its lantern burning outside during Christmas.

The second passage presents a different instance of misrule, in the form of begging for a Christmas "bonus" which – following a long tradition – has become in some cases an extortion (protection money). Christmas was typically a season at which officials received an instalment of their annual salary, but the bureaucratic officials (clerks, sergeants) might also – as at fifteenth century York – receive oblations (gratuities for good performance) on top.

Not all Christmas customs were undesirable. 'Decking the halls with boughs of holly' (and ivy) was a common practice by the close of the Middle Ages; the gathering of greenery for decorative purposes (both at this and at other festivals). was generally tolerated by those whose trees or bushes might be despoiled by the public. The Christmas dinner was actually a return to unrestricted eating after several weeks of partial fasting, lasting up to Christmas Eve; it was a time when the wealthy were enouraged to open their tables to the poor, although this ideal of charitable generosity was probably in practice restricted to invitees of similar social status. Seasonal entertainments included playing card or board games, and mounting plays at parish level, perhaps on the Nativity theme, but probably on a range of subjects. Carols – both religious and decidedly secular (to the point of bawdiness) – were sung, although we are not certain in what context, but probably outside of church. Boxing Day had its equivalent in New Year's Day gift-giving, although the surviving evidence shows this only for the nobility. With Christmas began a series of important festivals punctuating the medieval calendar up until midsummer.