A Madrigal Christmas Feast

Hear ye, hear ye!

Ye Olde Madrigal Christmas Feast, a Boar’s Head Festival, will take place on Saturday, December 19th. We will have players and musicians, including Mithril, from all over the area helping us with our celebration.  We will offer a five-course dinner and mummeries, music, and amazing feats to be performed throughout the evening.

Lady Gail Gano and troupe will be sharing their love of dance. A premier group of traveling players, fresh from performances in the big cities, will perform a traditional Boar’s Head theatre production.  Choirmaster Sir David Ayers will lead his journeymen and apprentices (and, quite probably, the entire Hall) in song.  Exotic dancers from the Far East will perform!  Throughout all of this the minstrels known in the modern world as the professional recording artists Mithril will work their musical magic.  The evening promises to be a truly wonderful night of artistic enjoyment.

Tickets will go on sale  October 15th, and are $50 per person if purchased before November 20th, and $55 per person thereafter. Quantities are limited, so get your tickets early.

Pray tell us, what is a Boar’s Head Festival?

Madrigal and Boar’s Head Feasts have been celebrated during the Christmas season since ancient times.  In olden days, the boar was the sovereign of the forest, a menace to humans and a challenge to hunters.  Serving it at feasts started with the Romans, and it came to be a staple at medieval banquets.  As Christian beliefs replaced pagan customs, the serving of the boar’s head at a Christmas feast came to symbolize the triumph of the Christ Child over sin.

In modern times, a Madrigal Supper or a Boar’s Head Festival is put on as a grand feast, complete with medieval costuming, decoration and symbolism.  There are attendees designated as Lords and Ladies, minstrels and jesters, and a host of others.  Everyone who attends becomes part of the celebration!  A five-course dinner will be offered, and there will be mummeries, madrigal singing, dancing and fresh from the Royal Court, a performance from Mithril.

Mark your calendars, Lords, Ladies, and Gentle folk!

What is a fair lady or handsome lord to wear for such an occasion?

Period correct clothing ranges from the early medieval times through the Elizabethan era.  In the early years, the primary differences between the nobles and the peasants were in the quantity and quality of the fabrics – the basic styles stayed the same.  Most wore a chemise of cotton, linen or flax next to the skin, then a long gown or tunic covered by a surcoat, a cotehardie, or a houpelande.  As the quality of fabrics improved and commerce between nations became common, clothing became fancier and better fitted.  Both sexes still wore chemises next to their skin, but the tunics gave way to doublets, tights, and fancy breeches for the men, and more fitted dresses for the women.  Many outfits had detachable sleeves that could be changed to make an outfit look different from one outing to the next…  Sketches of clothing from these times are available on the bulletin board at church, as well as in this file: Sketches of Period Costumes

Calling all Lords and Ladies!

The question has come up – What is does it mean to be a host or hostess?  We hope to have 16 tables of guests at our Madrigal Christmas Feast.  So we will need 16 or so hosts and hostesses at each table.  We’re hoping couples, singles and/or friends will be willing to serve!

So, what does this mean?  The host and hostess at each table will be responsible for decorating and setting up their table.  This would require a small centerpiece, table linens, chargers, goblets and utensils.  We have all of these available, or you may choose to use your own.  The first year, we had beautiful tables, some very luxurious, others elegantly simple, but all were great representatives of the Medieval Christmas theme…

Hosts and hostesses also have the responsibility to ensure the comfort of the guests at the table, making sure all are known to one another.  It will be their responsibility to see that everyone at the table has a beverage, that they have the food that they need, and that conversation is pleasant and ranges across multiple topics; in short, they must be hospitable!  The food will be served family style, so the host or hostess may also want to do the serving at the table, or at least supervise the passing of the many sumptuous dishes so that all may be served.

Hosts and hostesses are not required to purchase or sell all 8 tickets for the table.  They must purchase their own, of course, and we do encourage everyone to tell friends and family about our feast and invite them to join us, but no one is required to sell a set number of seats.  There will be a place on the reservation form to mark down desired seatmates, and requests will be honored as best we can, so that those who would like to sit together may do so.