Elizabethan Customs and Festivals
January
- The Twelfth Night is the evening of January 5th, the eve of Epiphany also the twelfth and last day of Christmas festivities.
February
- The Elizabethan festival celebrating love, singing, dancing and pairing games. Also known as St Valentine's Day.
March
- Easter celebrated by the Mystery plays depicting the crucifixion (Good Friday) and the resurrection (Easter Monday).
April
- April 1st is All Fools Day where the Jesters, or Lords of Misrule, took charge of the day and caused mayhem with jokes and jests. There were no rules and everything was backwards.
May
- The first day of May was known as May Day. It is a summer festival when a Queen of the May was chosen and villagers danced around the maypole.
June
- The summer solstice was celebrated on June 21st. They celebrated with the "Festival of Fire" and the Mummers entertained by telling stories and performing plays. Bones were often burned creating the term "bonfire."
July
- St. Swithin Day is celebrated on July 15th that honored the legend that after the ceremony of moving St. Swithins bones, it rained for 40 days.
August
- On the 2nd of August, Lammastide, or Lammas Day was the festival of the first wheat harvest if the year.
January
- The Twelfth Night is the evening of January 5th, the eve of Epiphany also the twelfth and last day of Christmas festivities.
February
- The Elizabethan festival celebrating love, singing, dancing and pairing games. Also known as St Valentine's Day.
March
- Easter celebrated by the Mystery plays depicting the crucifixion (Good Friday) and the resurrection (Easter Monday).
April
- April 1st is All Fools Day where the Jesters, or Lords of Misrule, took charge of the day and caused mayhem with jokes and jests. There were no rules and everything was backwards.
May
- The first day of May was known as May Day. It is a summer festival when a Queen of the May was chosen and villagers danced around the maypole.
June
- The summer solstice was celebrated on June 21st. They celebrated with the "Festival of Fire" and the Mummers entertained by telling stories and performing plays. Bones were often burned creating the term "bonfire."
July
- St. Swithin Day is celebrated on July 15th that honored the legend that after the ceremony of moving St. Swithins bones, it rained for 40 days.
August
- On the 2nd of August, Lammastide, or Lammas Day was the festival of the first wheat harvest if the year.