Christmas was a bit of a ‘boar’ in Tudor days

Fans of popular TV historian Lucy Worsley are in for a festive treat, writes Craig Campbell.

On Friday on BBC2, Lucy will immerse herself in the food, music, dance and traditions of the 16th century.

A Merry Tudor Christmas With Lucy Worsley takes a look at the revelry that ran from December 25 to January 5 in the reign of Henry VIII.

Lucy learned some surprising facts.

“Many of the Christmas traditions that we observe today are surprisingly young,” she says.

“Christmas trees, Christmas presents and Christmas cards are all 19th century inventions.

“The spiced scent of Christmas is definitely an enduring tradition. You forget how much international trade there was.

“They had spices from Africa and the Indies and that lovely flavour of mince pies, mulled wines and Christmas pudding is still the scent of Christmas today.”

After preparing a feast fit for Henry VIII, the brave Lucy tried some wild boar’s head. It may not shock you to learn she didn’t find it lipsmackingly gorgeous.

“The boar’s head was gross!” she laughs. “It was pickled in brine and boiled in wine for hours with all the insides minced up and stuffed back in again.

“The Tudor cooks who made it were so proud. Sadly, they were disappointed that I thought it was disgusting to eat!”

Does Lucy reckon there are any Christmas traditions from those days that could work today?

“Twelfth Night is a festival that the Tudors celebrated but we don’t observe today,” she points out.

“For us, the end of Christmas is New Year’s Eve whereas the climax of the Tudor 12 days of Christmas was a big feast on January 5.

“I’d bring back the twelfth night party. It would be a lovely way to cheer up the worst week in January when we’re all back at work!”

Sounds like a plan! Any great Tudor traditions we do still follow? “Singing! Carols weren’t necessarily just about religion and Christmas – they were about generally having a good time.”

A Merry Tudor Christmas With Lucy Worsley is on BBC2, tonight at 9pm.