Fourth Day Of Christmas

 

Fourth Day of Christmas 

 Childermas Day has been observed from very early in the history of the Church in commemoration of the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem by order of Herod, and in bygone times some of the horrors of the massacre were re-enacted in many households in the form of a smart whipping administered to the juvenile members of the family. Long ago the learned Gregory wrote: "It hath been a custom, and yet is, to whip up the children upon Innocents' Day morning, that the memory of Herod's murder of the innocents might stick the closer, and in a moderate proportion to act over the cruelties in kind." Considering the nature of the tragic events commemorated it is not surprising that Childermas has long borne the reputation of being the unluckiest day of the whole year.

Childmas is celebrated on the fourth day of Christmas and remembers the first martyrs of Christ Jesus.

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more."

Matthew 2:16-18

Herod the Great, who was governor of Galilee when Jesus was born, was an evil man who felt threatened when he heard that the King of the Jews had been born in Bethlehem. He sent the wise men who had seen the star the night Jesus was born to find the baby and to bring him back to him. The wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod after they found the baby Jesus. When Herod figured out that he had been tricked, he decreed that all male children in Bethlehem under two years were to be killed.

Traditionally, the youngest child in the family gets to decide what to do during the day. Some food the color of red is served to remember the blood that was shed by these little babies. In the Hispanic countries like Spain and Mexico, it is a day like April Fool's Day where the children play tricks on their parents, like the wise men played on Herod.

Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

Mark 10:14-16

What are the lyrics to ‘The Coventry Carol’ about?

The lyrics rather disturbingly detail King Herod’s harrowing orders, made at the news of the birth of Jesus Christ, to slay all children known as the ‘Massacre of the Innocents’.

So not very cheery at all, which is why it’s set in that hauntingly sombre, but undeniably beautiful, minor melody.

Read more: Christmas carols in a minor key >

“Lullay” or “lully” is an archaic, onomatopoeic (imitating real life sounds) term – heard as its derivative lull [in proceedings] and lullaby still today.

“Bye, bye” the carol intones; “Herod the king, in his raging / Chargèd he hath this day / His men of might in his own sight / All young children to slay.”

The lyrics are heart-breaking; farewelling the children that Herod has ordered to be killed. Surely, the most poignant of the minor key traditional Christmas carols. 

Read more: Someone has put Silent Night into a minor key and it’s super creepy >

The Coventry Carol – Full Lyrics 

Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay.
Thou little tiny child,
Bye bye, lully, lullay.

O sisters too, how may we do
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we sing,
“Bye bye, lully, lullay?”

Herod the king, in his raging,
Chargèd he hath this day
His men of might in his own sight
All young children to slay.

That woe is me, poor child, for thee
ever mourn and may
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
“Bye bye, lully, lullay.”

The Christmas Journey

 

Advent – the four weeks leading up to Christmas is called Advent. In the Tudor period, Advent was a time of fasting which ended on Christmas Day. The main days of celebration were Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Epiphany.

Twelve Days – The Twelve Days of Christmas (25th December to 5th January) were a time for communities to come together in the Tudor era. Farmers and agricultural labourers would stop working the land and spend time together. They went back to work on Plough Monday, the first Monday after Twelfth Night, or Epiphany (when the three wise men visited the baby Jesus).

Turkey – Turkeys were not introduced to Britain until about the 1520s. It is thought that Henry VIII was one of the first people to have turkey as part of his Christmas feast and this grew in popularity among wealthier people. Goose remained a more popular dish with labouring people until the Victorian period. To meet demand at Christmas, flocks of geese and turkeys were walked the one hundred miles from Norfolk to market in London. The journey took three months and the birds wore special leather boots to protect their feet!

Christmas Carols – The word carol comes from the Latin ‘caraula’ – a dance with a song. Carols were very popular in the Tudor period and they were used to spread the story of the Nativity. In the 17th century, Puritans banned all Christmas festivities and carol singing didn’t become popular again until Victorian times. Whilst the dance element seems to have disappeared over time, the songs celebrating Christmas have endured. 

Christmas Trees – In the Tudor period evergreens were used for decoration because they symbolised the promise of new life. Christmas trees as we know them, a decorated fir or spruce, didn’t become popular until the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). 

Lord of Misrule – As part of the Christmas festivities at the Tudor court a Lord of Misrule would be chosen by the monarch. It would be their job to arrange entertainment including processions, masques, plays and feasts, ensuring that everyone made merry over the course of the Twelve Days of Christmas. 

Mince Pies – Unlike a modern mince pie, Tudor mince pies contained meat, often mutton to represent the shepherds in the Nativity story. In the 16thcentury, mince pies contained 13 ingredients to symbolise Jesus and his 12 apostles. Many medieval recipes combined savoury and sweet, and dried fruit and spices had to be imported into the country making them expensive. Because the ingredients were costly, such spiced pies were not every day fare but were made as treats for special occasions like Easter and Christmas, which were also preceded by fasting. 

Gift Giving – In Tudor England, gift-giving took place on New Year’s Day among members of the upper classes. Gift-giving had great political significance and all royal gifts were recorded in a New Year’s Gift list. How a king or queen responded to a person’s gift was important and determined whether or not they were in royal favour. In 1532 Henry VIII made his feelings clear when he refused a gift from Catherine of Aragon but accepted one from Anne Boleyn. Henry and Anne went on to marry the following year.

Plays and Masques –Plays and masques were popular forms of entertainment throughout the year at court and they were especially integral to the feasts and entertainments at Christmas time. Twelfth Night was the highlight of the Christmas period and Shakespeare’s comedy of the same name was first staged in 1602 at the end of the Christmas season. The 25th of December was a minor feast in comparison!

Boy Bishops – The tradition of the Boy Bishop is one that has existed since the 10th century. A boy from the choir was chosen to lead the community in the church proceedings, apart from the mass. They would lead services from St Nicholas Day (6th December) to Holy Innocents Day (28th December). Henry VIII banned Boy Bishops in 1541 because it could be seen as mocking the church and therefore the king as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. The tradition of the Boy Bishop is still kept alive today by Hereford and Salisbury Cathedrals!

Kissing Bough – The Kissing Bough was one of the most popular Tudor Christmas decorations. Hoops were be woven from ash or willow wood and decorated with evergreens such as holly leaves. It would be hung over the threshold of the house and visitors would embrace underneath it as a gesture of goodwill. Over time, this would evolve to become the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe.

Yule Log – On Christmas Eve the Yule Log would be brought into the home, decorated and lit. The log would burn through the Twelve Days of Christmas. It was thought to be good luck if you kept part of the log to use to light next year’s log with. 

The timing of the 12 days also varies. Eastern Orthodox Churches use a different religious calendar (the Julian calendar as opposed to the Gregorian calendar used by Western churches), so their 12 days of Christmas start on January 7 and runs through the Epiphany on January 19. And while Catholics celebrate the Epiphany as a single day, some Protestant churches celebrate it until Ash Wednesday, leading into the season of Lent and Easter.

Gift-giving customs also differ in some cultures. In Latin America, Christians hand out presents on January 6, which they celebrate as Three Kings Day, instead of December 25. And other cultures give gifts all 12 days. Don’t miss these 15 Christmas traditions from around the world.

The 12 days also honor a different feast or saint, before culminating in Twelfth Night, according to U.S. Catholic. They are:

Day 2 (December 26): St. Stephen’s Day, named for the first Christian martyr who was known for his service to the poor and was stoned to death in AD 36.

Day 3 (December 27): St. John the Apostle, a disciple of Jesus who wrote the Fourth Gospel.

Day 4 (December 28): Feast of the Holy Innocents, which remembers the baby boys that were killed when King Herod was looking for Jesus.

Day 5 (December 29): St. Thomas Becket, the former Archbishop of Canterbury who was killed in the twelfth century for challenging King Henry II’s authority over the church.

Day 7 (December 31): New Year’s Eve. One of the earliest popes, Sylvester I, is honored this day. Legend has it he converted the first Roman emperor Constantine to Christianity.

Day 8 (January 1): The feast day celebrates Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Day 9 (January 2): St. Gregory and St. Basil, two important church leaders during the fourth century, are honored on this day.

Day 12 (January 5): The Eve of the Epiphany.

For centuries, Europeans have held large parties to celebrate Twelfth Night, also known as Epiphany Eve. The day has long been a day of feasting in England, while the French and Spanish make a special “king’s cake” to mark the three wise men’s visit to Jesus. (This is why we kiss under the mistletoe.)

In an interesting twist, some Catholic scholars believe that the “12 Days of Christmas” carol, which first appeared in a children’s book in England in 1780, may have served as a teaching tool for persecuted Catholics in England during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Next, check out the surprising history behind your favorite Christmas carols.

Christmas At Windsor Castle

 Christmas Exclusive 

The Christmas decorations are out at Windsor Castle! 🎅🎁

A 20-ft Norwegian Spruce was felled in the Great Park for St George's Hall (photos 2 and 3).

German-born Queen Charlotte, consort to George III, introduced the first Christmas tree 🎄 to Windsor in the late 1700s, in the form of a yew branch, but it was Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who popularised it in Britain. 

The huge tree (photos 1, 4, 5) takes TWO full days to decorate, with 3,000 lights, and hundreds of iridescent ornaments. Quite beautiful!

The rest of the castle gets the festive treatment, too - including the Queen's Gallery (photo 6), and the Grand Staircase, furnished with a large collection of arms and armour (7).

A special display has been put on in the State Dining Room (8, 9, 10): the Grand Service is laid out to mark 200 years since George IV’s accession to the throne. 

The 4000+ piece silver-gilt dining set was commissioned by George (as Prince Regent) in 1806 and is used at State Banquets today.

 

These decorations can be seen from tomorrow (3rd December) as Windsor Castle opens up to visitors once more. 

Booking is essential - get tickets here https://www.rct.uk/visit/windsor-castle#/tickets

📸 - © Queen Elizabeth II/

@RCT