January 6th - Ephiphany or Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night signifies the end of Christmas and the beginning of Epiphany.  This was the Twelfth Day or last day of Christmas holiday and was marked by a feast.  It was a time for peasants to pay their annual rent to the lord and the lord might in turn pay a part of his obligation to them.  A recognition of the magi bringing gifts to Christ.

One English lord provided his tenants with

his laborer's-feast at Christmas, along with two men, namely two white loaves,
as much ale as they will drink in a day, a platter of beef and of bacon with mustard, one of chicken-stew, and a cheese; fuel to cook his food and that of the other tenants . . . and to burn from dinner time until evening and afterwards; and two statute candles to burn out one after the other while they sit and drink, if they will sit so long; and the next day after noon his "gift-ale" with one man, as much ale as he will drink until evening.

Twelfth Night celebrating began by eating a cake containing a bean. The person who found the bean was declared ruler of the feast until midnight.  He was known as the Lord of Misrule.  Wassail or mulled apple cider was the drink of choice.  Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations were taken down at the end of the celebration. 

Our ancestors living in England were experiencing winter which means they had about 7 1/2 hours of daylight.  The sun was coming up about 8:30 and going down about 3:45.  Temperature is harder to figure for a lot of reasons.  Currently the temperature would run between 35° and 40°.  So dark and cold, but gaining daylight minutes every day knowing that spring was coming.  People were indoors unless they were taking care of animals or gathering firewood or other fuels. 

Feast days involved preparations, slaughtering of animals, preparation of food to be eaten that day or the next day.  There was no refrigeration, no electricity, etc.  The meat would have been roasted on a spit over an open fire or cooked as meat pies or incorporated into stews.  

Ale or beer was the drink of choice due to the fact that water could cause cholera or dysentery.  The Milk was used for the creation of butter, cheese, curds and whey.

Light came from tallow candles and the fireplace.  A house would be a dark, smoky place in winter.