The court of Tudor England was known for its decadence and grandeur, so what would Christmas have looked like at the court of King Henry VIII? One year, the king reportedly spent 13 million pounds on his celebrations, the equivalent of an entire years tax revenues. This paid for the finest food, the best entertainment, and hospitality extended to everyone, noble and humble alike. Discover what Yuletide festivities looked like at the Tudor court.Advent: Fasting, Prayer, and SolemnityPope Gregory I, by Jose de Ribera, 1614. Source: Wikimedia CommonsIf you happen to be the sort of person who despairs at the sight of a Christmas tree in October or rolls their eyes at the sudden appearance of a Christmas advert in November, Christmas in Tudor England may have appealed. During the 16th century, there would be no singing, no feasting, no dancing, no decorating, and strictly no merriment at all until Christmas Eve, December 24th.The weeks leading up to Christmas were known as Advent, introduced by the Church in the early 7th century. Pope Gregory I is best remembered for composing the many prayers, antiphons, and psalm responses associated with the season. But rather than a time of celebration, this was a period of fasting, prayer, solemnity, and spiritual preparation for the significant events that lay ahead.The Adoration of the Shepherds, by Gerard van Honthorst, 1622. Source: Digitale Bibliothek MVFasting was the most important ritual of Advent, linked with Bishop Perpetuus of Tours (c. 5th century), who originally ordered that certain foods should not be consumed during the run-up to Christmas. The Tudors refrained from eating meat, cheese, and eggs, but also from playing games, dancing, and even engaging in amorous activities.Decorations: Kissing Boughs, Candles, and Yule LogsKing Henry VIII, by Meynnart Wewyck, 1509. Source: Wikimedia CommonsWhen the Tudors started decorating on Christmas Eve, they went all out, but without a Christmas tree in sight. During the early years of his reign, King Henry VIII liked to spend Christmas at Greenwich Palace, just as he had done as a young child. He later moved his celebrations to the bigger and much more luxurious palace of Hampton Court. The Palace was decorated with evergreen leaves and sprigs of holly and ivy, filling it with the aroma of wintery plants.Holly Tree. Source: Annie Spratt via UnsplashHolly was considered the typical mans plant, whilst ivy was for girls. If a Manor House was adorned with more ivy than holly, the gentlemen were made fun of for being ruled over by the women. Mistletoe was also a favorite, too, as was kissing under the white berries. The Tudors tied together bunches of mistletoe and named them kissing boughs.In the houses of poorer folk, Christmas greenery would have a more symbolic use than decoration. Leaves were entwined around machinery such as the distaff, a form of spinning wheel, to ensure that the women did not work over the Christmas period.However, the centerpiece of Tudor Christmas decorations was the Yule Log. On Christmas Eve, the strongest gentlemen at King Henry VIIIs court would roll in an enormous piece of wood. It was lodged in the fireplace in the banqueting hall and burned over the next twelve days.An illustration of people collecting a Yule Log taken from Chambers Book of Days, by Robert Chambers, 1864. Source: Wikimedia CommonsAlmost every household in England would have had a Yule Log, and those hosting celebrations were obliged to provide one for guests. Christmases were cold in the Tudor Era, and so the Yule Log provided some of the heat required to keep the guests warm. Candles were also placed around the home to light dark evenings and ensure the festivities continued well into the night.All decorations were picked and positioned by nightfall on December 24 and remained firmly in place over the twelve days of Christmas.The Twelve Days of Christmas: Feasts and FestivitiesMassacre of the Innocents, by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, 1565-7. Source: RKD ImagesDuring the 16th century, Christmas began on the 25th of December (the Feast of the Nativity of Jesus) and ended on the 5th of January (the night before the Feast of the Epiphany). These days were collectively known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.It was King Alfred the Great (ruled 871-886) who originally established the observance of the twelve days of Christmas in England. He mandated that these days should be kept by everyone in the kingdom and that all legal proceedings, all work, and all fighting should come to a halt on Christmas Day, and should not restart until the end of the period.Within the twelve days of Christmas fell several liturgical feasts, all of which were observed with the attendance of a mass. For example, the Feast of Saint John the Evangelist (December 27th), the Feast of the Holy Innocents (28th), the Feast of Saint Thomas Becket (29th), and the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus (30th). While mass was a serious ritual, the remaining time was spent in fun and frivolity.Saint Stephens Day (December 26th) is now better known as Boxing Day due to the tradition of giving gift boxes to servants who worked on Christmas, but got the 26th off.Christmas Carols: Here We Come A-WassailingHenry VIII, after Hans Holbein the Younger, 1540-7. Source: Art UKTo say that the Tudors loved to sing Christmas Carols would be an understatement. They just loved to partake in an activity known as Wassailing. The Oxford English Dictionary gives two definitions of the term Wassailing. The first: To drink plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy oneself in a noisy, lively way. The second: To go from house to house singing carols. The Tudors combined the two.Although many of our favorite carols were written during the Victorian era, there are many that were composed during the time of King Henry VIII, if not long before. Just a few of these include The Cherry Tree Carol, The Coventry Carol, I Saw A Maiden, The Boars Head Carol, O Come Emmanuel, Gaudete, Ding Dong Merrily On High, Good Christian Men Rejoice, and even We Wish You A Merry Christmas.The popular carol Good King Wenceslas is based on a real duke of Bohemia known for his charity.Food: Boars Head, Mince Pies, and Mulled WineCardinal Thomas Wolsey, c. 1585-96. Source: Art UKOne of the main points of Christmas in the Tudor Era was that it could be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their financial position. It was the duty not only of the king but also of other wealthy nobles to keep an open house at Christmas. Thanks to this endless Yuletide generosity, servants, tenants, and other less fortunate folk were all able to experience a Christmas fit for royalty.For example, in the year 1525, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey welcomed a great number of people into his home. The English lawyer and historian, Edward Hall (1496-1547), recorded the event in his chronicles: The Cardinal in this season lay at the Manor of Richmond, and there kept an open household, to Lords, Ladies, and all the others that would come, with plays and disguisings in a most Royal manner.Christmas Pie, by William Henry Hunt, 1847. Source: Wikimedia CommonsOne of the main things that the kings, cardinals, and other nobles provided was an unthinkable amount of food. Some favored dishes included mince pies with real meat inside, plum pudding, marzipan (then known as marchpane) cut into all kinds of beautiful and artistic shapes, various jellies, and even an early form of mulled wine. A creation known as Tudor Christmas Pie was the main event. This consisted of a turkey stuffed with a goose, stuffed with chicken, stuffed with partridge, stuffed with pigeon, all baked within a pastry case.It was the Tudors who pioneered food as a serious culinary experience.While dining, all guests would be entertained by a variety of performers, including court jesters, acrobats, fire-eaters, jugglers, mummers, fools, and musicians. In between the long periods spent in the banqueting hall, time was spent hunting, partaking in sports, dancing, socializing, singing, and playing card games and word games.Presents: The Giving and Receiving of GiftsAnne of Cleeves spending Christmas at Court, portrayed by Joss Stone in the television series The Tudors. Source: PinterestIt was not Christmas Day, but New Years Day, that was allocated for the giving and receiving of presents.At the court of King Henry VIII, many nobles saw this gift-giving as an opportunity to outdo each other. The aim was to present the king and queen with the most valuable, unique, and coveted gift they could afford to buy.One notable example of Yuletide gift-giving can be found in the letters of the Spanish ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, who retold the events of January 1, 1532. His letter describes how King Henry VIII publicly declined a gift from his wife, Catherine of Aragon. King Henry had promised his wife-to-be, Anne Boleyn, that he would receive nothing from his exiled Queen.King Henry VIII was also known as a generous gift-giver. He sent each of his friends and servants a small or large piece of silver; the exact amount was determined by nothing other than how much favor each person had accumulated throughout the previous year. While it may seem a little unimaginative, this was an extremely generous gesture. From King Henry VIII, the Duke of Norfolk received 30oz of silver. But it was Cardinal Wolseys name that appeared at the top of the inventory, receiving 40oz.Twelfth Night (The Last Night of Christmas)Twelfth Night Merry-Making in Farmer Shakeshafts Barn, by Phiz, 19th century. Source: Wikimedia CommonsIn the Tudor Era, Twelfth Night was one of the most exciting evenings of the year. It was also the night before the 6th of January, otherwise known as The Feast Of The Epiphany or Three Kings Day.One of the favorite traditions of the Tudors was electing a Twelfth Night king or queen. This was a temporary but seemingly hilarious role reversal between the king and a lowly servant. Once elected, the Twelfth Night king or queen would preside over the evening of entertainment, wielding an unlimited amount of power for a couple of hours.The election process was simple. The palace chefs prepared a Twelfth Night Cake, like a modern Christmas cake, but a secret item, such as a coin or bead, was baked into the cake. Shared at the feast, whoever received the piece with the secret inside became the king or queen for the night. They would then dictate what games were played, dances danced, songs sung, and so forth. They were affectionately named the Lord or Lady of Misrule.This tradition was inspired by the Roman festival of Saturnalia, a pre-Christian festival that also fell in December.A Silver Groat of Henry VIII, 1544-7. Source: British MuseumA similar tradition was played out in the churches and cathedrals of England. A young boy would be selected to take the place of the bishop and would preside over the Christmas celebrations from Saint Nicholas Day (December 6th) until the Feast of the Holy Innocents (December 28th).Scene from Twelfth Night with Malvolio and the Countess, by Daniel Maclise, 1840. Source: The TateWilliam Shakespeares famous comedy, originally known as What You Will, was later titled Twelfth Night. This is not a recommendation from Shakespeare about when to perform the play, but instead a suggestion of the many role reversals, particularly between the noblemen and the servants, which occur frequently within the story.The Legacy of Christmases PastScrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present, by John Leech, 1843. Source: Wikimedia CommonsIn 1843, Charles Dickens declared the importance of Christmases gone by in his most famous novel, A Christmas Carol. At the end of the story, after experiencing a life-changing epiphany, Ebeneezer Scrooge delivers his most heartwarming speech: I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year, declares Scrooge, I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.