5 Medieval Facts of Christmas

1. Christmas wasn’t the jovial holiday of today.

In medieval times, the celebration of this particular holiday was taken very seriously, for it was a celebration of the birth of Christ. Hours-long masses were attended daily during this holiday – which lasted until the Egyptian winter solstice on January 6^th.

But that didn’t mean there was no fun to be had after mass. Who wouldn’t need to party after praying solemnly day after day for hours on end? Long masses were followed by performances and dances in villages and castles.

In the villages, peasants reveled boisterously with much singing, dancing, food donated by the rich, and fountains of ale arranged by the King.

5 Medieval Facts of Life II

1.  Animals were arrested, and tried in court for crimes against humanity.

Biting, charging, and giving sour milk were just a few accusations leading to animal arrests. If found guilty, these animal criminals would be sentenced to death.

2.  Syphilis was called the “French Disease” because medievals believed the French were the most promiscuous of all nationalities of peoples.

3.  You know those red and white poles that mark barber shops? Well, brace yourself for their macabre origin…

5 Medieval Facts of Life

1. The capital of the Muslim empire in Spain was Cordoba. Under Muslim rule, it was the greatest seat of learning in Europe from the 8^th to the 12^th centuries, and one of the very few cities in Europe where Jews, Christians & Muslims lived together in peace.

During Europe’s Dark Ages, Muslim-ruled Spain was experiencing a Renaissance of knowledge that would widely influence the later Renaissance of the rest of Europe after the Dark Ages. In fact, contrary to ideologically-slanted Western history accounts, the first European Renaissance occurred in Spain under Muslim rule.

2. During the Middle Ages, the majority of people did not know how to read or write. The Church was the only institution that was literate. Literacy was pretty much the domain of royals and the noble classes of society. However, the lower classes did not begrudge their higher ups this skill. They considered it completely natural that those in charge should be literate, for they had more need of learning than did mere peasants.