Hey, this is Heather from the Renaissance English History Podcast, and this is your Tudor Minute for December 25. Remember, if you got an Alexa device for Christmas, you can enable this daily Tudor Minute on your device! Just enable it in the Alexa Skills market here.
Happy Christmas! Christmas in the Tudor period saw the end of the fasting season of Advent, a period of quiet and meditation on the coming birth of Jesus. Henry VIII was one of the first people to introduce turkey to the Christmas table, as it was first brought to England in the 1520’s, and Henry enjoyed it. This is the day when the celebrations would begin, with the first day of Christmas, ending in the Epiphany, or Twelfth Night celebrations on January 6.
Interestingly, the use of X as an abbreviation for Christ, which comes from the Greek lettering, was first commonly used in the 16th century, though its use in English dates back to the Anglo Saxon Chronicle when intelligent monks would use the abbreviation to show off their Greek skills. However you are celebrating today, I hope you’re having a wonderful day.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com where there is an episode on Tudor Christmas celebrations.
Links:
https://aca.st/a020c9