The Peculiar Christmas Custom of the Boy Bishops

[Michie]

In the medieval church, folk piety was rich in the theatrical and festive observation of Christ’s nativity. We see and hear a faint echo of it down to our own times in Christmas carols, pageants, living creches, and even quasi-religious pop entertainment like A Charlie Brown Christmas. Some tend to downplay the importance of the Christmas season in comparison to Lent and Easter in the early church, but that’s just not true. Christmas certainly went underground a bit during the Reformation, only to emerge again as a full-blooded time of celebration in the 19th century, but prior to the Reformation it was observed with great joy and feasting.

Continued below.

The Peculiar Christmas Custom of the Boy Bishops

In many places, a child was chosen to dress and act as a bishop to celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas.

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