| | Medieval Entertainment
Medieval Entertainment was extremely important to people who lived in the Medieval era. Medieval entertainment was popular whenever there was something to celebrate! A betrothal, wedding, victories and festivals. Court entertainment was regular, often a nightly occurrence combined with feasts, jousts and banquets. But the poor people enjoyed entertainment from travelling minstrels and troubadours, tournaments, dancing and trained animals, mummers (dancers), mystery plays, jugglers and strolling players. Medieval Entertainment
So This section regarding Medieval entertainment provides a full over view with facts and information about of Medieval Merry making! | | | |
| | Medieval Entertainment - Medieval Entertainment - the celebrations and feast days regally held
- Medieval Entertainment - types of Entertainers and their clothing
- Medieval Entertainment - the different types of popular entertainment
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Medieval EntertainmentTypes of Medieval Entertainment
Types of Medieval Entertainment and were as follows: - Feasts - A large, elaborately prepared meal, usually for many persons and often accompanied by court entertainment. Often celebrated religious festivals
- Banquets - A ceremonial dinner honoring a particular guest
- Jousts / Tournaments - A series of tilting matches between knights
- Mystery Plays - Re-enacting stories from the Bible
- Festivals - Celebrating the lives of Saints
- Fairs - The Annual Summer Fair was often a bawdy affair
- Games and Sports - Sports and games which included archery, bowling, dice, hammer-throwing, quarter-staff contests, quoits, skittles and wrestling
- Animal Sports - Including Bear and Bull baiting. Dog and Cock fighting
- Hunting - Sport followed by the nobility often using dogs
- Hawking - Sport followed by the nobility with hawks
Medieval Entertainers
The Names and Types of Medieval Entertainment were as follows: - Jesters - A fool or buffoon at medieval courts
- Mummers - A masked or costumed merrymaker or dancer especially at a festival
- Minstrels - Travelling musician who sang of legends
- Troubadours - Travelling musician who sang of courtly love
- Strolling Players - Travelling actors
- Jugglers - Also used tricks, deception, or fraud
Medieval Entertainment - Religious Feasts, Fairs and Festivals
Medieval people loved entertainment! The more entertainment the better! Feasts Fairs and Festivals were all common occurrences and were celebrated during specific times of the year most of which were dictated by the Church and religious festivals. A calendar of Medieval entertainment in terms of religious feasts, fairs and festivals is detailed as follows: - January Medieval Entertainment - Twelfth Night Religious festival and feasts celebrating the visit of the Wise Men, or Magi, following the birth of Jesus
- February Medieval Entertainment - St Valentine's Day! The Medieval festival celebrating love - singing, dancing and pairing games
- March Medieval Entertainment - Easter celebrated by the Mystery plays depicting the crucifixion ( Good Friday) and the resurrection ( Easter Monday )
- April Medieval Entertainment - All Fool's Day. The Jesters, or Lords of Misrule, took charge for the day and caused mayhem with jokes and jests!
- May Day Medieval Entertainment - Summer festival celebrating May Day when a Queen of the May was chosen and villagers danced around the maypole
- June Medieval Entertainment - Midsummer Eve, the Mummers entertained at the 'Festival of Fire' reliving legends such as St George and the Dragon. Bones were often burned leading to the term 'bonfire'. The summer Solstice was June 23rd
- July Medieval Entertainment - Swithin's Day falls on 15th July. Legend says that during the bones of St Swithin were moved and after the ceremony it began to rain and continued to do so for forty days
- August Medieval Entertainment - Lammas Day was celebrated on August 2nd. The ' loaf-mass ' day, the festival of the first wheat harvest of the year. Houses were sometimes decorated with garlands. Candle lit processions and apple-bobbing was featured!
- September Medieval Entertainment - 29th September was when Michaelmas celebrated the life of St Michael and the traditional food on Michaelmas was goose or chicken
- October Medieval Entertainment - October 25th celebrating St Crispin's Day. Revels and bonfires and people acted as 'King Crispin'
- November Medieval Entertainment - The Day of the Dead - All Souls Day or All Hallow's Day ( Halloween ) when revels were held and bonfires were lit
- December Medieval Entertainment - The feasts and Christmas celebrations
The Feasts, Fairs and Festivals were all held at the same time of year giving Medieval people something to look forward to in their everyday Medieval lives. Medieval EntertainmentMedieval Kings and Queens
Medieval Feudal System
Medieval Clothing
Medieval Food and Drink
Medieval Occupations
Medieval Guilds
Medieval Women
Medieval Names
Medieval Musical Instruments
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Medieval Dances
Medieval dance music dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. The carole was the most popular dance-song which could be danced in a circle, in a chain, or as a processional. Our modern Christmas Carols are derived from this practice. Names of famous Medieval dances enjoyed in Medieval entertainment include the following: - Cinque-pace
- Galliard
- Pavane
- Roundel
- Tordion
- Volta
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