【简译】中世纪的圣诞节

中 世 纪 的 圣 诞 节

Christmas was one of the highlights of the medieval calendar, not only for the rich but also for the peasantry. For the longest holiday of the year, typically the full twelve days of Christmas, people stopped work, homes were decorated and a Yule log burned in the hearth. Gifts were exchanged, colourful church services enjoyed and merry feasts were eaten by all where there was better food and more of it than at any other time in the year. There were plenty of songs, dancing, pantomimes and games, too. For many, just as today, Christmas was the best of times.

          圣诞节是中世纪的重要节日之一，不仅对富人，对农民也是如此。圣诞节是一年中最长的假期，有整整12天；那天，人们停止工作，装饰自己的家园，并在壁炉中燃烧圣诞圆木。人们交换礼物，享受丰富多彩的教堂仪式，所有人都享受着快乐的宴席，那里的食物比一年中的任何时候都要好，都要多。也有很多歌曲、舞蹈、哑剧和游戏。对许多人来说，就像今天一样，圣诞节是最美好的时光。

The European medieval calendar was not short of holidays: each season had its own special Christian celebration, often based on older pagan traditions. Medieval holidays were a chance to have a much-needed rest from the usual daily toil and to socialise at family meals where the typical dreary menu of the poor was replaced by such rarities as meat and fish and the table of the rich was adorned with exotica like roast peacock. Christmas was the longest holiday of the year by far and lasted from the night of Christmas Eve, the 24th of December, to the Twelfth Day, Epiphany, on the 6th of January. Mid-winter was a time of year which saw a lull in agricultural activity and consequently many peasants were permitted by their lord to have the entire two weeks off. The season also involved gift-giving and decorating the home with garlands and wreaths of winter foliage. As one description of 12th-century CE London by William Fitzstephen records:

Every man's house, as also their parish churches, was decked with holly, ivy, bay and whatsoever the season of the year afforded to be green.

(quoted in Gies, 100)

          欧洲中世纪并不缺少节日：每个季节都有其特殊的基督教庆祝活动，通常是基于古老的异教传统。中世纪的节日是人们从日常劳作中获得亟需休息的日子，人们在家庭聚餐中进行社交活动，穷人典型的沉闷菜单被肉和鱼等珍品所取代，富人的餐桌则用烤孔雀等奇特的东西来装饰。圣诞节是迄今为止一年中持续时间最长的节日，从12月24日的平安夜晚上一直持续到1月6日的第十二天，即主显节。仲冬时节是一年中农业活动的淡季，因此，许多农民被他们的领主允许放整整两个星期的假。这个季节还包括送礼和用冬季树叶的花环和花圈装饰家庭。正如威廉·菲茨特芬（William Fitzstephen）对公元12世纪的伦敦所做的描述：

          每个人的房子，还有他们的教区教堂，都用冬青、常春藤、月桂和一年中保持常青的植物来装饰。(引自吉斯，100）。

Holly, with its glossy dark green leaves and bright red berries, has been considered the ideal winter decoration since antiquity. Ancient Celtic druids thought it sacred and able to ward off evil spirits while the Romans used it as a gift to show esteem and goodwill. Mistletoe is another long-used decoration which ancient people thought a bringer of fertility, protector of crops and something that kept away witches. Long before the Christmas tree took centre stage in the 19th century CE, a double ring of mistletoe was the centrepiece of many a home's decorations, under which couples could kiss, removing the jewel-like berries with each peck.

          冬青，有光泽的深绿色叶子和鲜红的浆果，自古以来一直被认为是理想的冬季装饰品。古代凯尔特人德鲁伊认为它是神圣的，能够驱除邪灵，而罗马人则把它作为礼物来表示尊敬和善意。槲寄生是另一种长期使用的装饰品，古代人认为它能带来肥力，保护庄稼，并能阻止女巫的到来。早在公元19世纪圣诞树占据中心位置之前，双环槲寄生是许多家庭装饰的核心，情侣们可以在槲寄生下接吻，每啄一下就摘下宝石般的浆果。

圣 诞 节 期 间 的 教 堂

Naturally, in the very religious communities of medieval times, the local church was a focal point for the Christmas celebrations and services were well-attended by all classes. Over time the traditional services for major Christian holidays became more elaborate and Christmas was no exception. One development from around the 9th century CE was 'troping' which was to add extra dialogues and songs to the service. An example of troping in the Christmas celebration was an elaboration on the question which choirs sang: Quem quaertitis in praesepe? ('Whom do you seek in the manger?'). One half of the choir would sing the line and then the other half did. This eventually led to a dramatisation using individual speakers and actors which resulted in the presentation of nativity plays with the Magi and King Herod playing prominent roles. Another play which became popular in church services of the festive period was The Prophets, in which a priest conducted a dialogue with various prophets such as Jeremiah, Daniel and Moses and choir boys played dressed up bit-parts like a donkey or devil.

          自然，在中世纪非常虔诚的社区，当地教堂是圣诞庆祝活动的焦点，各阶层都踊跃参加礼拜。随着时间的推移，基督教主要节日的传统仪式变得更加精细，圣诞节也不例外。大约从公元9世纪开始的一个发展是 "颂歌"，即在礼拜中增加额外的对话和歌曲。圣诞节庆祝活动中的一个例子是唱诗班所唱的问题的阐述。Quem quaertitis in praesepe? ("你在马槽里寻找谁？")。一半的唱诗班会唱这句话，然后另一半接着唱。这最终导致了使用个人演讲者和演员的戏剧化以及耶稣诞生剧的呈现，其中玛吉人和希律王扮演着重要角色。另一个在节日期间的教堂礼拜中流行的剧目是《先知》，其中牧师与不同的先知如耶利米、但以理和摩西进行对话，唱诗班的男孩们穿着驴子或魔鬼等服饰装扮成小角色。

The Feast of the Holy Innocents (Childermas) on 28th of December commemorated King Herod's failed attempt to murder the infant Jesus by ordering the execution of all children in Bethlehem under two years of age. The church on this day, perhaps bizarrely considering the gravity of the occasion, indulged in a bit of traditional festive role-reversal with choirboys taking the place of the bishop and other higher clergy to conduct services and even to lead a torchlit procession. The celebration of the Feast of the Circumcision, held on the 1st of January, was even more outlandish, which perhaps explains its other name of the 'Feast of Fools'. Minor clergy would wear their clothes inside out and lead an ass into church where, upon arrival at the altar, they would burn incense made from old shoes, eat sausages, drink wine and make the sounds of a donkey.

          12月28日的圣婴节（Childermas）是为了纪念希律王下令处决伯利恒所有两岁以下的儿童，而后谋杀婴儿耶稣的企图失败了。考虑到这一事件的严重性，教会在这一天进行了一次传统节日的角色转换，由唱诗班成员代替主教和其他高级神职人员主持仪式，甚至带领火炬游行，这也许很奇怪。1月1日举行的割礼节的庆祝活动甚至更加离奇，这也许解释了它的另一个名字 "愚人节"。小教士们会把衣服穿在外面，牵着一头驴子进入教堂，到达祭坛后，他们会焚烧用旧鞋子做的香，吃香肠，喝葡萄酒，并发出驴子的声音。

The local clergy, if not invited to their nearest lord's castle, celebrated with a fine meal of rarities at home. Larks, ducks, and salmon could appear on the menu, or perhaps a kid, and we know one abbot of Ramsey Abbey in England reserved for himself a wild boar each Christmas dinner. Even monks had a treat or two at Christmas. The diet of those in medieval monasteries was quite good anyway but Christmas feasts included more meat and fish than usual. We also know that at monasteries such as at Cluny Abbey in France, the monks received a new gown and had one of their twice-yearly baths at Christmas (any more was not permitted).

          当地的神职人员，如果没有被邀请到他们最近领主的城堡，就会在家里用珍稀的食物来庆祝。云雀、鸭子和鲑鱼可能会出现在菜单上，也可能是一头乳猪，我们知道英国拉姆齐修道院的一位院长在每顿圣诞大餐中为自己保留了一头野猪。甚至僧侣们在圣诞节也有一两样食物。无论如何，中世纪修道院里的人的饮食是相当不错的，但圣诞大餐包括比平时更多的肉和鱼。我们还知道，在法国的克鲁尼修道院等修道院，僧侣们在圣诞节会收到一件新的长袍，并进行一年两次的沐浴（更多的沐浴则不被允许）。

庄 园 里 的 圣 诞 节

Amongst the landed aristocracy, comfortable in their castles and manors, Christmas gifts such as fine clothes and jewellery to wear for the season were exchanged on the 25th of December. There was another round of gift-giving on the 1st of January, too. Known as 'first-gifts' they were thought to be an omen of a person's fortune in the coming year. Much like today, though, the real joy of Christmas for many was the food on offer.

          舒适地呆在城堡和庄园里的土地贵族，在12月25日那天交换圣诞礼物，如精美的衣服和珠宝，以便在这个季节穿戴。1月1日也有另一轮送礼活动。这些礼物被称为 "第一份礼物"，被认为是一个人来年财运的预兆。不过，与今天一样，对许多人来说，圣诞节的真正乐趣在于所提供的食物。

Usually held in the Great Hall of a castle or manor, the setting for the Christmas meal for the aristocracy was suitably splendid with high wood-beam ceilings and at least one roaring fire. The hall was made even more impressive with festive garlands of holly, ivy and other seasonal greenery. The tables were set with the usual knives, spoons and a thick slab of one-day-old bread (a trencher or manchet) to be used by way of a plate for meat. Christmas diners were also treated to the luxury of a change of tablecloth after each course. Two diners shared a bowl for washing hands (everything except liquids was eaten with the fingers), another bowl for soups and stews, and a small bowl of salt.

          圣诞大餐通常在城堡或庄园的大礼堂里举行，贵族们的圣诞大餐布置得相当华丽，有高高的木梁天花板和至少一个熊熊的火堆。大厅里有冬青、常春藤和其他季节性绿色植物的节日花环，让人印象更加深刻。桌子上摆放着刀子、勺子和一块厚厚的新鲜面包（trencher或manchet），用来作为肉的盘子。圣诞食客们还能享受到每道菜后更换桌布的奢侈待遇。两位食客共用一个碗来洗手（除液体外，其他东西都用手指吃），另一个碗用来盛汤和炖菜，还有一个装盐的小碗。

Served as an early lunch, the first course was typically a soup, broth or weak stew with some meat at the bottom. The second course might be a vegetable stew (porray) of leeks and onions. The rich were fortunate enough to have meat as their next course on ordinary days – rabbit, hare and chicken, for example – but Christmas saw finer meat delicacies, fish (e.g. salmon, herring and trout) and seafood (e.g. eels, oysters and crab) courses presented to the guests. Meats were roasted on a spit over an open fire. Besides legs of beef and mutton, there was veal, venison, goose, capon, suckling pig, duck, plover, lark and crane, to name a few. A special Christmas dish the cooks might prepare to wow the guests included a boar's head on a platter or a swan or peacock roasted in its feathers. Sauces added more flavour to many dishes and, thickened with breadcrumbs, they contained wine or vinegar, and herbs and spices.

          作为早午餐，第一道菜通常是汤、肉汤或底部有一些肉的炖菜。第二道菜可能是韭菜和洋葱的蔬菜炖肉（porray）。有钱人在平时可以幸运地吃到肉，例如兔肉、野兔和鸡肉，但在圣诞节，更多的肉类美食、鱼类（如鲑鱼、鲱鱼和鳟鱼）和海鲜（如鳗鱼、牡蛎和螃蟹）都被呈现给客人。肉类被放在明火上的烤架上烘烤。除了牛腿和羊肉，还有小牛肉、鹿肉、鹅肉、山羊肉、乳猪、鸭子、百灵鸟、云雀和鹤，等等。厨师们可能会准备一道特别的圣诞菜，让客人们大吃一惊，包括放在盘子里的野猪头，或者烤着带羽毛的天鹅或孔雀。酱汁为许多菜肴增添了丰富的味道，厨师用面包屑勾芡，其中含有葡萄酒或醋，以及草药和香料。

Dessert consisted of thick fruit custards, pastries, nuts, cheese and luxury fruits like oranges, figs and dates. There were also entremets – various decorated nibbles glazed with sugar and honey – which were served before the dessert course at Christmas and other feasts. To drink there was red and white wine (from a cup shared with one's dining partner) which was drunk young as it had a short shelf-life. Wine was often mixed with water or sweetened with honey or sugar. Alternatives were cider and ale, although the latter, made from grains and fermented with yeast, was considered a lower class drink. Beer made using hops would only appear in the late Middle Ages. Dessert might be accompanied by a jug of spiced wine. While all this feasting was going in the Great Hall, the servants of a castle were not forgotten as traditionally they were given better food at Christmas such as geese and hens. Finally, the leftovers of the feast were taken outside to the waiting poor.

          甜品包括厚厚的水果冻、糕点、坚果、奶酪和豪华水果，如橙子、无花果和枣。也有entremets——用糖和蜂蜜涂抹的各种装饰零食——在圣诞节和其他宴会的甜点之前供应。饮料有红葡萄酒和白葡萄酒（与用餐伙伴共用一个杯子），由于保质期短，所以要趁早喝。葡萄酒通常与水混合，或用蜂蜜或糖加甜。另外还有苹果酒和啤酒，尽管后者由谷物制成，用酵母发酵，被认为是一种低级别的饮料。使用啤酒花制作的啤酒在中世纪晚期才会出现。甜品可能伴随着一壶香料酒。当这些盛宴都在大礼堂进行时，城堡的仆人们也没有被遗忘，因为传统上他们在圣诞节会得到更好的食物，如鹅和母鸡。最后，盛宴的残羹剩饭被送到外面等待的穷人手中。

The manor dining table might have had some surprising guests as serfs on the castle's estate did get to live it up a little at Christmas when, by tradition, they were invited to the manor on Christmas day for a meal. On some estates the invitations were restricted to just two lucky recipients, traditionally one of the poorest and one of the wealthiest peasants who could also invite two friends along. Unfortunately, most peasants invited to their local lord's abode had to bring along their own plates and firewood, and of course, all the food had been produced by themselves anyway. However, they did get free ale and it was at least a chance to see how the other half lived and relieve the dreariness of a country winter.

          庄园的餐桌上可能有一些令人惊讶的客人，因为按照传统，城堡庄园的农奴在圣诞节会被邀请到庄园里吃一顿饭，这让他们的生活变得更加丰富。在一些庄园里，邀请只限于两个幸运儿，传统上是一个最贫穷的农民和一个最富有的农民，他们还可以邀请两个朋友一起。不幸的是，大多数被邀请到当地领主住所的农民不得不带上自己的盘子和柴火，当然，所有的食物都是自己生产的。然而，他们确实得到了免费的啤酒，这至少是一个看到贵族们如何生活的机会，并缓解了乡村冬天的沉闷。

农 民 的 圣 诞 节

A peasant's Christmas was obviously rather less grand than that enjoyed in the local manor or castle and, for them, the season did not start well. Serfs, already subjected to all manner of odd fees over the year, were expected to give a 'gift' to their lord at Christmas of extra bread, eggs and perhaps even a valuable rooster or a couple of hens. In contrast, free labourers on the estate, especially the more important ones such as the estate's shepherd, swineherd and oxherd, received presents from the lord, typically a bonus of food, drink, clothes and firewood. It is a tradition which continued into later centuries when household servants received a box of gifts on the 26th of December, hence the name of that day in Britain: Boxing Day. Children's gifts from their humble parents included such simple toys as spinning tops, whistles, stilts, marbles, dolls, and figures made from wood or clay.

          农民的圣诞节显然没有当地庄园或城堡里的圣诞节那么隆重，对他们来说，这个季节的开始并不顺利。农奴在一年中已经承受了各种奇怪的费用，在圣诞节要给他们的领主送上一份 "礼物"，包括额外的面包、鸡蛋，甚至可能是一只有价值的公鸡或几只母鸡。相比之下，庄园里的自由劳动者，尤其是比较重要的劳动者，如庄园的牧羊人、养猪人和放牛人，会收到领主的礼物，通常是食物、饮料、衣服和木柴的奖励。这一传统一直延续到后来的几个世纪，家庭仆人会在12月26日收到一箱礼物，因此这一天在英国被称为 "节礼日"。这一天，孩子们从他们父母那里得到的礼物包括诸如陀螺、哨子、高跷、弹珠、娃娃以及用木头或粘土制作的人物等简单玩具。

Peasants would have decorated their homes much as aristocrats did, with greenery such as holly being readily available for those who searched for it. An old, possibly pagan tradition persisted, which was the burning of a Yule log. Actually a sizeable piece of tree trunk, the log was lit on Christmas Eve in homes of all kind and kept burning for the twelve days of Christmas. For the special meals of the holiday peasants ate that rare delicacy of – usually boiled – meat, treated themselves to cheese and eggs, ate cakes and drank ale. Of the latter there was certainly lots, the brew typically made by peasant women.

          农民会像贵族一样装饰自己的家，那些帮助贵族寻找冬青的人很容易得到冬青之类的绿色植物。一个古老的，可能是异教的传统依然存在，那就是烧圣诞树。实际上是一块很大的树干，在圣诞节前夕，各种家庭都会点燃这根木头，并在圣诞节的12天里一直燃烧。在节日的特殊膳食中，农民们会吃一些日常很少吃的美味，通常是煮熟的肉，吃奶酪和鸡蛋，吃蛋糕，喝啤酒。啤酒当然有很多，通常是由农妇酿制的酒。

The 1st of January was important as people hoped for better fortune in the coming year. A superstition developed, like the gifts the rich exchanged on this day, that it was terribly important who the first person to visit one's home was on New Year's Day. Called 'first-footing', certain characteristics were considered desirable in this first visitor: a male with a dark complexion, perhaps fair-haired and, best of all, with flat feet.

          1月1日很重要，因为人们希望来年能有更好的运气。这在当时形成了一种迷信，就像富人在这一天交换的礼物一样；在元旦这一天第一个到访的人是谁非常重要。这被称为 "第一脚"，人们认为这第一个来访者的某些特征是可取的：男性，肤色深，也许是白发，最好是平脚。

圣 诞 节 的 娱 乐 活 动

There were all kinds of entertainments on offer over the Christmas period. Drinking alcohol was the most popular of all and the fact that merry-making could easily get out of hand is attested by the common custom of lords paying special watchmen to guard their estates in case of riots. A record from an estate near Saint Paul's Cathedral in London tells us that watchmen were set from Christmas Day to Twelfth Night and that these men were recompensed by 'a good fire in the hall, one white loaf, one cooked dish, and a gallon of ale [per day]' (quoted in Gies, 208). Even if drinking such large quantities was relatively common and the ale weak, with four and a half litres of ale per watchman it is a wonder they themselves did not get a bit rowdy.

          圣诞节期间有各种各样的娱乐活动。饮酒是最受欢迎的，而欢乐的气氛很容易失控，这一点可以从领主们雇佣特别看守员来看守他们的庄园以防止暴乱的普遍习俗中得到证明。伦敦圣保罗大教堂附近的一个庄园的记录告诉我们，从圣诞节到第十二夜都有看守人员，这些人的报酬是 "大厅里的火炉，一个白面包，一份熟菜，以及一加仑的啤酒[每天]"（引自吉斯，208）。即使饮用大量的啤酒是比较常见的，因为当时啤酒度数很低，但每个看门人有四升半的啤酒，他们自己不变得有点吵闹才怪。

More genteel festive entertainment included monks touring and performing plays in private residences which told key episodes from the Bible, especially, of course, seasonal topics such as the Massacre of the Innocents by Herod. Similarly, in cities, medieval guilds put on public pageants where wagons went through the streets carrying people dressed as personalities from the Bible's Christmas story. Troupes of masked pantomime artists known as mummers went through the streets, too, accompanied by bands of musicians. Sometimes numbering over 100 revellers, they dressed in outlandish costumes as lords, cardinals and knights, and even ventured into people's homes to dance and play dice. Receiving food and drink in return for their entertainment, mummers often performed short plays with scenes from familiar legends such as Saint George and the dragon.

          更有风度的节日娱乐活动包括僧侣们在私人住宅中巡回演出，讲述《圣经》中的关键情节，当然，特别是带有节日特性的话题，如希律王对无辜者的屠杀。同样，在城市里，中世纪的行会会举办公共庆典，马车载着装扮成《圣经》中圣诞故事人物的人穿过街道。被称为 "哑巴 "的假面剧团也会在音乐家的陪同下穿过街道。有时人数超过100人，他们身着怪异的服装，装扮成贵族、红衣主教和骑士，甚至冒险进入人们的家中跳舞和玩骰子。作为娱乐活动的回报，巫师们经常表演短剧，内容是人们熟悉的传奇故事，如圣乔治与龙。

There were games like cards and dice (which included a bit of gambling) and board games such as chess, checkers, backgammon and Nine Men's Morris. Traditional Christmas games included the 'king of the bean' which permitted the person who found a hidden bean in the bread or a special cake to be 'king' or 'queen' of the feast. That honoured person then had the right to lord it over everyone else who often had to mimic whatever action the king or queen did at the table. The game was traditionally played on Twelfth Night and was an example of the tried-and-tested role-reversal hilarity which went back to Rome's pagan December festival of Saturnalia.

          当时有纸牌和骰子（包括一些赌博）等游戏，以及国际象棋、跳棋、双陆棋和九宫格等棋类游戏。传统的圣诞游戏包括 "豆王"，允许在面包或特殊蛋糕中发现藏有豆子的人成为宴会的 "国王 "或 "皇后"。然后，这个受人尊敬的人有权支配其他人，而其他人往往不得不模仿国王或王后在餐桌上的任何动作。这个游戏传统上是在第十二夜进行的，是一个经过考验的角色反转搞笑的例子，可以追溯到罗马的异教十二月节土星节。

Christmas meals were followed by more drinking of wine or beer, singing of songs, including carols, and group dancing to music from pipes, flutes, lutes and drums. Professional acrobats and jongleurs (minstrels) performed their tricks and witty verses. Folktales were told, embellished and re-told every year, puppet shows were put on and people played parlour games, many of which survive today such as blind man's buff and prisoner's base. Another such game involved one member of the party being dressed as a saint while everyone else had to make them an offering (no doubt, an amusing one) which they had to do without smiling and resisting the antics of the saint or else they themselves became the saint. Another game was 'The King Who Does Not Lie' when the 'king of the feast' might ask a question to any guest who, if they answered truthfully, could ask a question in return. Such games were, of course, a chance to show one's wit and skill at wordplay, to embarrass a friend or to find out a sweetheart's inclinations.

          圣诞餐后，人们更多的是喝葡萄酒或啤酒，唱歌曲，包括颂歌，并在长笛、琵琶和鼓的音乐声中集体跳舞。专业的杂技演员和小丑（吟游诗人）表演他们的把戏和吟诵诙谐的诗句。民间故事每年都会被讲述、润色和重述，木偶戏也会上演，人们还玩起了庭院游戏，其中许多游戏至今仍在进行，如盲人摸象和囚徒之垒。另一个游戏是将聚会中的一名成员打扮成圣人，而其他人必须为他们提供祭品（毫无疑问，是一个有趣的祭品），他们必须做到不笑，并抵制圣人的滑稽行为，否则他们自己就会成为圣人。另一个游戏是 "不撒谎的国王"，"宴会国王 "可以向任何客人提出问题，如果他们如实回答，可以反问一句。当然，这样的游戏是展示一个人的机智和文字游戏技巧的机会，可以让朋友难堪，或者了解爱人的倾向。

For the more energetic there were sports such as feats of strength, archery, wrestling, bowling, hockey and medieval football where the goal was to move the ball to a predetermined destination and there were few, if any, rules. Sliding on frozen lakes was a popular activity in winter, too. Alternatively, by strapping the shin bones of a horse to the feet and grabbing a pole for propulsion, the courageous could try ice skating.

          对于精力充沛的人来说，有一些运动，如力量的展示、射箭、摔跤、保龄球、曲棍球和中世纪足球，其目标是将球移动到预定的目的地，也没有什么规则。在冰冻的湖面上滑行也是冬季的一项流行活动。另外，一些人通过将马的胫骨绑在脚上并抓住一根杆子进行推进，勇敢的人可以尝试这样滑冰。

节 日 的 结 束

Christmas through the ages has witnessed festive fun and frolics and so, inevitably, the return to ordinary working life must have been something of a shock in the medieval period after this longest of holidays. However, even then peasants made a celebratory game of the proceedings by, for example, holding a plough race at sunrise on the first Monday after Epiphany, known as Plough Monday. There was another tradition, perhaps again to lighten the burden of returning to the daily toil, on 7th January, also known as Saint Distaff's Day. This day was, “a day of carnival, an occasion for 'misrule', for 'comic battles between the sexes' in which men set fire to women's flax and women made sure men got soaked” (Leyser, 225).

          历代的圣诞节都见证了节日的欢乐和嬉戏，因此，不可避免地，在中世纪，在这个最长的假期之后，回归普通的工作生活对人们来说一定是一种冲击。然而，即使在那个时候，农民们也把这个过程当作一种庆祝游戏，例如，在主显节后的第一个星期一，在日出时分举行犁地比赛，被称为犁地星期一。还有一个传统，也许是为了减轻回到日常劳作中的负担，在1月7日，也被称为圣女节。这一天是 "狂欢的日子，是'误治'的场合，是'两性之间的滑稽战斗'，男人放火烧女人的亚麻，女人确保男人被淋湿"（Leyser, 225）。

参考书目：

Blockmans, W. Introduction to Medieval Europe 300–1500. Routledge, 2017.

Gies, F. Life in a Medieval City. Harper Perennial, 2016.

Gies, F. Life in a Medieval Village. Harper Perennial, 2016.

Gies, J. Life in a Medieval Castle. Harper Perennial, 2015.

Leyser, H. Medieval Women. W&N, 2018.

Mistletoe Traditions - mistletoe.org.ukAccessed 30 Nov 2018.

Singman, J.L. The Middle Ages. Sterling, 2013.

作者：Mark Cartwright

          驻意大利的历史作家。他的主要兴趣包括陶瓷、建筑、世界神话和发现所有文明的共同思想。他拥有政治哲学硕士学位，是《世界历史百科全书》的出版总监。

原文网址：

https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1288/a-medieval-christmas/