Description
Distaff Day is one of the numerous unofficial holiday observed by those of Catholic faith. As tradition has it, the holiday has always been held on the 7th of January, right after the Feast of Epiphany. The holiday was named after the distaff, the tool used in medieval times for spinning and an important symbol for the work of women. Robert Herrick’s poem, written in the 17th century, commemorates the holiday and promotes it together with the customs and activities it was mainly associated with.Robert Herrick’s Saint Distaff’s Day, or the Morrow after Twelfth Day, is a short but cheerful poem describing Distaff’s Day as a part of medieval Catholic tradition. Gatherings are held as part of the holiday, and as Herrick puts it, the day is marked by activities of both work and play, with men and women playing traditional pranks on each other as enjoyment.The custom is that men first go out to plough the field, but they return sooner than on regular work days. The women, in the meantime, get to work on their spinning and continue their work until the men return. Upon their arrival, the men are to set the flax used by women on fire, but careful to do it without “singeing” any of the maidens’ hair. In the end, the girls have the last laugh, drenching the men in water obtained from their pails.Although this curious tradition of the Christmas season has died out a long time ago, it remains an integral part of Christian lore and the historical culture of medieval villages. Anyone interested in medieval history will definitely enjoy this short but fascinating and quite humorous poem written by Robert Herrick well over three centuries ago, yet still able to bring a smile to the face of modern day readers and familiarize them with this long lost unofficial holiday.
Product ID: 9781776667680
Sku: Q5-XVTL-YA1I
