{"id":14487,"date":"2022-12-20T21:12:08","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T05:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kateohare\/?p=14487"},"modified":"2022-12-28T13:23:53","modified_gmt":"2022-12-28T21:23:53","slug":"12-days-of-tudor-christmas-lucy-worsley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kateohare\/2022\/12\/12-days-of-tudor-christmas-lucy-worsley\/","title":{"rendered":"’12 Days of Tudor Christmas’: Lucy Worsley and Historians Celebrate an English CATHOLIC Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"A<\/a>
Lucy Worsley in \u2018Lucy\u2019s Worsley\u2019s 12 Days of Tudor Christmas\u2019\/BBC\/PBS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

It\u2019s an irony of history that the man who ultimately trashed the English Catholic Church began as one of its more passionate defenders \u2014 and Christmas was one of the victims of his search for an heir.<\/p>\n

The Glory Days Before the Wrecking of English Catholicism<\/h3>\n

Before Henry VIII gave up on producing a son with his Spanish Catholic wife, Catherine of Aragon, and decided to break with Rome to marry the ultimately doomed Protestant Anne Boleyn, he was an ardent Catholic. And the nation he reigned over was ardently Catholic \u2014 as were its Christmases.<\/p>\n

To legitimize his marriage to Anne, Henry essentially made himself a pope of the Church of England. He began with sacking the nation\u2019s monasteries (thereby filling his own coffers), which had for centuries been integral to rural English life. His successors (with the brief exception of his daughter Mary) were set on destroying the English Catholic Church.<\/p>\n

Along the way, the so-called Reformation \u2014 especially the Puritans \u2014 downplayed or eradicated centuries of tradition. This included many annual celebrations marked on the Catholic liturgical calendar \u2026 particularly the raucous Tudor version of Christmas.<\/p>\n

In time, Christmas itself was downgraded in England to the status of a minor holiday, especially in some strict, non-Anglican sects.<\/p>\n

In some ways, Charles Dickens\u2019 1843 novella A Christmas Carol <\/em>(read it all here<\/a>) began a revival of the holiday in the public imagination (as fictionalized in the charming 2017 film The Man Who Invented Christmas<\/em><\/a>).<\/p>\n

(Also, Queen Victoria\u2019s German Lutheran husband Prince Albert and other royals did their part<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Today, in terms of saints\u2019 days in America, most people are only really aware of St. Patrick\u2019s Day and St. Valentine\u2019s Day, which have also morphed into vulgar secular celebrations. But, in pre-Reformation Days in England, religious holidays, including the feast days of saints, were major touchpoints during the year.<\/p>\n

Tudor Christmas Fun With Lucy Worsley<\/h3>\n

If an American wants to know what Christmas was like in pre-Protestant times in an English-speaking land, a great place to start is Lucy Worsley\u2019s 12 Days of Tudor Christmas<\/em><\/a>, a one-hour special from the elfin British historian and TV presenter.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/iTdX7Xn-Mnk<\/p>\n

In it, the delightful Worsley \u2014 who likes dressing up in period costume and really<\/em> likes honey mead \u2014 reminds us that, in pre-Reformation England, Advent was an actual penitential season, with abstinence and fasting, etc. It ended on Christmas, which then continued in earnest for the full 12 days, until Epiphany.<\/p>\n

Non-essential work stopped, people feasted and partied, and a general good time was had by all (within the limits of the contemporary culture, that is).<\/p>\n

But, religious observances, including Mass, were also a major part of the celebration, along with all the various folk customs. This shows how, in the mind of English Catholics at the time, their faith was fully integrated into almost all aspects of their daily lives.<\/p>\n

The full documentary is airing on various PBS stations (check local listings), and is also available for PBS Passport members, and for digital purchase or rental on Amazon Prime, YouTube and Apple TV (and maybe other platforms).<\/p>\n

The Dark Heart of Christmas<\/h3>\n

The special also reminds us that the lovely Coventry Carol<\/em> was composed for the Feast of the Holy Innocents. It\u2019s the Fourth Day of Christmas, which I\u2019ve always thought of as the dark heart of the otherwise joyful season.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lullaby for those lost children that King Herod had murdered while trying to eliminate the Baby Jesus.<\/p>\n