January
Twelfth Night lore: When the evil King of Labora punished his people by decreeing all work and no pleasure, he banished one of the people?s favorite holiday?s. Therefore, he also forbade celebration of Twelfth Night. The holiday was in fact a 12 day festival.
On Twelfth Night, the ceremonies cannot begin until a contest determines who will be King and Queen of the Bean. Luck rather than skill decides the winners. The answers are hidden in the Twelfth Cake. Most other foods and games, dances and entertainments also are ritual battles. Revelers called Mummers perform short contest plays. A strong and good St. George must fight a powerful, evil knight. In churches, plays from the Bible depict battles between good and bad. Three kings, following a marvelous star must outsmart a wicked King Herod. These star led noblemen are the Three Magi, who bring gifts to the child whose birth signifies the true meaning of this holiday. Their visit gives Twelfth Night its other name, Epiphany Eve.
King of Labora?s banishment certainly was a cruel punishment. Twelfth Night costumes, disguises, stamping dances, hobby horses, tugs of war, festival flames, games and feasts made Twelfth Night one of the most magnificent of winter holidays. For Twelfth Night, costumes are required, including eye masks. At least six people wear hats topped with large antlers or horns, and small bells around the ankles of their boots. One guest is dressed as the warrior knight, St. George. Another looks like a hobby horse, complete with mane and tail. One reveler is costumed in orange from hat to toe with a large letter ?O? sewn to the front of the tunic. Another guest is dressed in bright yellow wearing an ornamental ?L? for lemon. These are the team leaders of the contest games.
The High Table is empty for this night of revelry until the King and Queen of the Bean are chosen. Usually there are two cakes. Baked within one is a single, large, dried bean. In the Imperial Court, it is a golden bean. The cake is carefully cut and each of the male feasters is served a small piece. The finder of the bean is the King of the Bean, and master of the Twelfth Night Revelries.
Inside the second is a large dried pea, in the Imperial Court, it is usually a jewel. The woman finding it is the Queen of the Bean. Once they are selected, the Surveyor seats the new master and mistress of Twelfth Night at the high table. They remove their masks, and each receives a small crown and scepter.
After the first round of food is served, the guests must wassail the trees. They leave the warmth of the hall to go into the orchard or forest. There among the fruit trees they perform a wassail ceremony around the largest, oldest tree, or the one bearing the most fruit during the year.
They surround the tree and carry large glasses or tankards half filled with apple cider, three small pieces of toasted caraway seed cake floating on the surface. They walk around the tree chanting, ?Hail to thee, old apple tree! From every bough give us apples enow?, hatsful, capsful, bushel, bushel, sacksful, and our arms full too.? They lift their glasses to the tree, they toast it, and shout Wassail. They take a few sips of the cider. Then each one eats one piece of the seed cake, and places the other two on the branches of the tree. A second time they slowly march around the tree, repeating the rhyme. At this circling, the tree drinks. Each wassailer pours the remaining cider into the tub surrounding the tree?s roots. A third chanting procession around the tree ends with wild shouts of ?Hurrah!?
The purpose of this amusing, noisy ritual is to ensure plenty of good cider to fill the cups next year. Wassailing fruit trees is a folk charm for a bountiful harvest. It encourages the trees to bear many a plum and many a pear. The cakes and cider are food gifts for the trees? guardian spirits. The noise and stamping are for startling slumbering tree spirits who might be forgetful of the need to awaken at the coming of spring.
At the outdoor celebrations, Twelfth Night fires are lit in open fields, sown with twelve rows of wheat, twelve very small straw fires are built, plus one large fire. Around thise the revelers gather. Indoors, candles are substitutes for fires. In a darkened hall, twelve candles or sets of candles in sturdy holders are lit, one by one. The guests shout wassail at the lighting of each. Three candles are evenly spaced in each of the four corners of the room. A very large candle or candelabrum with several candles makes the largest fire. This thirteenth fire is sometimes called Old Meg. It serves as the centerpiece for cheerful drinks and songs.
The Oxhorn Cake and Dance follow several feast courses later. The six disguised as ?oxen? wearing horned head dresses and belled boots circle around the wassail tree while musicians play a march, they stamp vigorously in procession. The Surveyor asks the King and Queen of the Bean to select the finest Ox, the ?Best Beast?. One firm, round cake is placed on the chosen one?s horns. The cake is made of oats, caraway seeds and currants. The ox must dance to throw off the cake. The other five imitate the Best Beast. Bets are taken silently on which direction the cake will fall. If it falls in front of the animal, it?s called the Boosey. If it falls behind, it is called the Istress.
Every guest is served a miniature ox horn cake.
Suddenly a loud neighing of a horse is heard in the hall. The musicians imitate horse ?neighs? and then the ?horse? trots in. It canters up to the King and Queen of the Bean at the high table. It bows in fancy patterns, it gallops, walks, proudly slings its tail and then it speaks! ?With gallant St. George I always ride. Weather now is so cold, we must come inside. Give us this room ot act our play. England?s own King will clear the way!?
This begins the play for the evening, but the Twelfth Night merry making is not over yet. The Oranges and Lemons must have their time. At midnight there is a more serious play, but the ritual games lead by the Orange and Lemon leaders ensure.
Twelfth Night, like the Twelfth Day following, is the holiday of hope. After darkness comes light. After the dead of winter comes sunny spring. After sorrow there is joy.
Twelfth Night lore: When the evil King of Labora punished his people by decreeing all work and no pleasure, he banished one of the people?s favorite holiday?s. Therefore, he also forbade celebration of Twelfth Night. The holiday was in fact a 12 day festival.
On Twelfth Night, the ceremonies cannot begin until a contest determines who will be King and Queen of the Bean. Luck rather than skill decides the winners. The answers are hidden in the Twelfth Cake. Most other foods and games, dances and entertainments also are ritual battles. Revelers called Mummers perform short contest plays. A strong and good St. George must fight a powerful, evil knight. In churches, plays from the Bible depict battles between good and bad. Three kings, following a marvelous star must outsmart a wicked King Herod. These star led noblemen are the Three Magi, who bring gifts to the child whose birth signifies the true meaning of this holiday. Their visit gives Twelfth Night its other name, Epiphany Eve.
King of Labora?s banishment certainly was a cruel punishment. Twelfth Night costumes, disguises, stamping dances, hobby horses, tugs of war, festival flames, games and feasts made Twelfth Night one of the most magnificent of winter holidays. For Twelfth Night, costumes are required, including eye masks. At least six people wear hats topped with large antlers or horns, and small bells around the ankles of their boots. One guest is dressed as the warrior knight, St. George. Another looks like a hobby horse, complete with mane and tail. One reveler is costumed in orange from hat to toe with a large letter ?O? sewn to the front of the tunic. Another guest is dressed in bright yellow wearing an ornamental ?L? for lemon. These are the team leaders of the contest games.
The High Table is empty for this night of revelry until the King and Queen of the Bean are chosen. Usually there are two cakes. Baked within one is a single, large, dried bean. In the Imperial Court, it is a golden bean. The cake is carefully cut and each of the male feasters is served a small piece. The finder of the bean is the King of the Bean, and master of the Twelfth Night Revelries.
Inside the second is a large dried pea, in the Imperial Court, it is usually a jewel. The woman finding it is the Queen of the Bean. Once they are selected, the Surveyor seats the new master and mistress of Twelfth Night at the high table. They remove their masks, and each receives a small crown and scepter.
After the first round of food is served, the guests must wassail the trees. They leave the warmth of the hall to go into the orchard or forest. There among the fruit trees they perform a wassail ceremony around the largest, oldest tree, or the one bearing the most fruit during the year.
They surround the tree and carry large glasses or tankards half filled with apple cider, three small pieces of toasted caraway seed cake floating on the surface. They walk around the tree chanting, ?Hail to thee, old apple tree! From every bough give us apples enow?, hatsful, capsful, bushel, bushel, sacksful, and our arms full too.? They lift their glasses to the tree, they toast it, and shout Wassail. They take a few sips of the cider. Then each one eats one piece of the seed cake, and places the other two on the branches of the tree. A second time they slowly march around the tree, repeating the rhyme. At this circling, the tree drinks. Each wassailer pours the remaining cider into the tub surrounding the tree?s roots. A third chanting procession around the tree ends with wild shouts of ?Hurrah!?
The purpose of this amusing, noisy ritual is to ensure plenty of good cider to fill the cups next year. Wassailing fruit trees is a folk charm for a bountiful harvest. It encourages the trees to bear many a plum and many a pear. The cakes and cider are food gifts for the trees? guardian spirits. The noise and stamping are for startling slumbering tree spirits who might be forgetful of the need to awaken at the coming of spring.
At the outdoor celebrations, Twelfth Night fires are lit in open fields, sown with twelve rows of wheat, twelve very small straw fires are built, plus one large fire. Around thise the revelers gather. Indoors, candles are substitutes for fires. In a darkened hall, twelve candles or sets of candles in sturdy holders are lit, one by one. The guests shout wassail at the lighting of each. Three candles are evenly spaced in each of the four corners of the room. A very large candle or candelabrum with several candles makes the largest fire. This thirteenth fire is sometimes called Old Meg. It serves as the centerpiece for cheerful drinks and songs.
The Oxhorn Cake and Dance follow several feast courses later. The six disguised as ?oxen? wearing horned head dresses and belled boots circle around the wassail tree while musicians play a march, they stamp vigorously in procession. The Surveyor asks the King and Queen of the Bean to select the finest Ox, the ?Best Beast?. One firm, round cake is placed on the chosen one?s horns. The cake is made of oats, caraway seeds and currants. The ox must dance to throw off the cake. The other five imitate the Best Beast. Bets are taken silently on which direction the cake will fall. If it falls in front of the animal, it?s called the Boosey. If it falls behind, it is called the Istress.
Every guest is served a miniature ox horn cake.
Suddenly a loud neighing of a horse is heard in the hall. The musicians imitate horse ?neighs? and then the ?horse? trots in. It canters up to the King and Queen of the Bean at the high table. It bows in fancy patterns, it gallops, walks, proudly slings its tail and then it speaks! ?With gallant St. George I always ride. Weather now is so cold, we must come inside. Give us this room ot act our play. England?s own King will clear the way!?
This begins the play for the evening, but the Twelfth Night merry making is not over yet. The Oranges and Lemons must have their time. At midnight there is a more serious play, but the ritual games lead by the Orange and Lemon leaders ensure.
Twelfth Night, like the Twelfth Day following, is the holiday of hope. After darkness comes light. After the dead of winter comes sunny spring. After sorrow there is joy.