Midwinter in 1630

The household are having a feast to celebrate Midwinter, an ancient festival marking the shortest and darkest day of the year.

What's happening

The household are having a feast to celebrate Midwinter, the shortest day of the year. Neighbours have dropped in to sing songs in exchange for food and drink, a practice known as wassailing. The family and their guests will drink lambswool punch from the wassail bowl and play rowdy games into the evening.

There are growing criticisms of the practice of wassailing, especially amongst the deeply religious Puritan community, who disapprove of the associated drinking and merriment. It seems that drunken excess at Christmastime is nothing new.

Midwinter

Christmas celebrations in the early 1600s had changed very little since medieval times, and had more in common with the pagan festival of Midwinter than the religious festival of Christmas.

The winter solstice, on 21 December, has been (and continues to be) observed and celebrated by countless generations who were grateful for survival through the harsh winter months.