Tudor Monastery Farm: Christmas

History Documentary hosted by Ruth Goodman and Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold, published by BBC in 2013 - English narration


Information
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Tudor Monastery Farm: Christmas 
Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn turn the clock back 500 years to rediscover how the farms of Tudor England celebrated the twelve days of Christmas. Although Christmas was celebrated very differently in Tudor times, if anything the celebrations were even bigger. All work stopped on Christmas Eve for 12 days of revelry and feasting. While Peter and Tom decorate the farmhouse with holly and ivy, Ruth prepares grand banquets for the farmworkers. The Christmas Day feast was particularly special and featured a pig's head rather than a turkey as its centrepiece. Most farmers could not afford to feast every day but the monasteries held a special mass and banquet on each of the 12 days of Christmas. The fifth day, the Feast of Thomas Becket, was particularly important. Red meat was thought to stimulate virility, so monks ate poultry such as swan and game. Tom and Ruth learn the art of falconry - the main way of catching game birds. The team also indulge in archery, the most popular sport of the era, whilst Tom learns how to make bagpipes, the most widely played instrument of the day. The culmination of Christmas was marked by a frenzy of music, food and alcohol. The main treat was Twelfth Night Cake. A dried pea was hidden in the cake - the precursor to the sixpence in a Christmas pudding - and whoever found it would be appointed the 'Lord of Misrule' for the night, leading the celebrations. Tudor life was hierarchical and strictly organised but, at Christmas, the rules were relaxed and the roles reversed. Finally the revellers head out 'wassailing' - an early version of carol singing which originated many songs still sung today such as 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' and 'Ding Dong Merrily on High'.
Presenters 
Ruth Goodman 
Peter Ginn 
Tom Pinfold 


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Technical Specs
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<b>Technical Spec for HD</b>
Video Codec: x264 CABAC [email protected]
Video Bitrate: CRF 20 (~3227Kbps)
Video Resolution: 1280x720
Video Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frame Rate: 25 FPS
Audio Codec: AAC-LC
Audio Bitrate: Q=0.42 VBR (~132Kbps) 48KHz
Audio Channels: 2
Run-Time: 59 mins
Number of Parts: 1
Part Size: 1.41 GB
Source: HDTV                                                                            Encoded by: JungleBoy

Release Notes
Merged Subtitles



Links
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1)  Further Information 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03ndb8c

2)  Related Documentaries 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=Tudor%20Monastery%20Farm