Popular Elizabethan Pastimes & Puritans (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note
Exam code: J411
Summary
Life in Elizabethan England was hard for most people. This meant people took every opportunity to enjoy themselves in festivals and celebrations. In between these events, visiting the local alehouse was popular.
Festivals became less popular towards the end of Elizabeth's reign as the influence of the Puritans increased. They saw many of these festivals as being ungodly, because their roots were in pagan or Catholic ceremonies. Puritans also objected to the drunkenness, which was common at these festivities.
Popular pastimes
When Elizabeth came to the Throne, many popular festivities were celebrated throughout the year and all across the country
Some were linked to Christianity, whereas others were linked to the seasons and the farming year
Event | Form of celebrations |
|---|---|
Christmas | The birth of Jesus was celebrated for 12 days, with singing carols and feasting. The celebrations took place around midwinter, which had been marked with celebrations in England before Christianity had arrived. |
Shrove Tuesday | This marked the beginning of Lent. Feasts were held the annual 'shrove-tide football match' became an annual event |
Whitsun | This celebrated the Holy Spirit coming to Jesus' followers and was held 50 days after Easter. Although not the biggest event in the calendar, it was often an excuse for merrymaking. |
May Day | This celebrated the arrival of Spring and involved dancing around maypoles that were put up on village greens. This was enthusiastically celebrated after long winters and often involved drunkenness. |
Midsummer's Eve | The longest day of the year had been celebrated in England long before the arrival of Christianity. In Elizabethan times, it was marked with large bonfires, feasts and drunkenness. |
Harvest Home | This marked the end of the farming year and the completion of harvesting that year's crops. When the harvest was plentiful, there was drunkenness, dancing and feasting. |
In between these annual events, the alehouse was the centre of most villages' social activities
Most people's homes were small, dark and uncomfortable
The alehouse was somewhere villagers could go to drink, sing and socialise with their neighbours
Puritan views on popular pastimes
Puritans were extremely strict Protestants
They were firmly against any ceremony or celebration that was not in the Bible
Some popular events, such as May Day, Midsummer's Eve and Harvest Home, had their roots in pre-Christian pagan times
As a result, Puritans saw them as blasphemous
Other celebrations, such as Christmas and Shrove Tuesday, were viewed by Puritans as being too closely linked to Catholic ways of worship
Christmas in particular contains the word 'mass' - the main service held in Catholic Churches
Puritans were keen to ensure people lived more Godly or holy lives
They believed alehouses were the cause of violence and unwanted pregnancies
The Puritans became more influential throughout Elizabeth's reign
They gained control of some parishes
They ended certain festivities
They also preached against them and convinced many people that such celebrations were against God's wishes
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Use index cards and write questions about the Elizabethans on the front with the answers on the back. You can then colour code them to show if they are political, economic, social, religious or cultural factors.
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