The 1st Day of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas…

Most people know the famous Christmas song The Twelve Days of Christmas, with its “partridge in a pear tree” and “five gold rings”. But what actually are the twelve days of Christmas? They don’t line up with our modern 24-day Advent calendars, so where did they come from? Were they simply invented for the song?

In fact, they were not. The twelve days of Christmas were originally a sequence of important religious feast days celebrated in medieval and Tudor England as part of the Roman Catholic calendar. Beginning on Christmas Day, these twelve days were filled with worship, feasting and festivities, continuing all the way to 5th January.

While today many people count down to Christmas with chocolate-filled Advent calendars, Tudor people prepared in a very different way. For four weeks beforehand, they observed a period of fasting, including Christmas Eve itself. During this time, they avoided foods such as meat, cheese and eggs—making the long-awaited Christmas feast all the more exciting.

Once Christmas Day arrived, work stopped completely for twelve days, even for poorer people. On Christmas Eve, homes were decorated with greenery gathered from the surrounding countryside, including holly, ivy and mistletoe. These evergreen plants, which remained vibrant during the winter months, were believed to symbolise eternal life. Bringing them into the home on Christmas Eve was thought to bring good luck, but doing so earlier could invite misfortune. Because no work was allowed during the festive period, women would even decorate tools like spinning wheels to prevent them from being used until the celebrations had ended.

25 December – Christmas Day

Christmas Day, the first of the twelve days, began with Midnight Mass. Church bells rang out, candles were lit, and the celebrations officially began. People dressed in their finest clothes, and at the Tudor court, Henry VIII marked the occasion by wearing brand new garments. Gifts were also given to royal attendants and servants.

After attending church, families gathered for a grand feast. The meal typically began with plum porridge—a rich, savoury dish made from meat broth, dried fruits, spices and wine. This was followed by an array of roasted meats, including boar, venison and birds, alongside brawn, a popular Tudor delicacy made from pork or boar and decorated with herbs and fruit. It was so beloved that extra kitchen space had to be created at Greenwich Palace to keep up with demand.

For poorer households, meat was usually a rare luxury, but Christmas was a special exception, and goose was often enjoyed as a festive treat. Alongside the meat dishes, people of all classes ate pies, stuffing, frumenty—a sweet porridge made with wheat, milk, eggs, spices and fruit—and various puddings. Brussels sprouts may even have appeared on the table, as they were first recorded in England in 1538. Mince pies and gingerbread were also popular festive treats.