By Gabrielle Belmont-Klück
Twelfth Night at the Castle
Christmas tradition is so ingrained in America's 'national consciousness' that although most of us have heard the song "Twelve Days of Christmas," few know about its origins. Yet, this festive period, also known as 'Twelvetide,' is centuries old and still impacts how we enjoy the holidays today. In this article, I will share my analyses of Twelvetide’s history, how it was treated once it reached the new world, and how these events connect to our story here at Smith's Castle. However, the last evening, ‘Twelfth Night,’ will be a primary point of discussion. Twelfth Night was the wildest out of all the feasts and has a significant presence in modern holiday tradition.
In addition, the meal was accompanied by The Twelfth Night Cake, a dessert and game that bent societal rules during the night of 'misrule.' The unique cake inspired my display for this year's “Christmas at the Castle” which this article is based on. The small exhibit focuses on the cake's recipe and showcases each component used to make the cake. Inspired by my local history, I curated a Twelfth night cake only using ingredients that may have been used by estate owners (the Updikes) during the 18th century. The family would have taken part in the Christmas customs as planters of the Christian faith and Western European heritage. Increasing the possibility that many Twelfth Nights were celebrated and many Twelfth Night Cakes were baked within the walls of Smith's castle.
Read below to learn more about Twelvetide or click on “Learn More” to see the ingredients used for the recipe!
Twelfth Night & The Twelve Days of Christmas
There are valid reasons why the Romans, Vikings, and Christians feasted and celebrated in December. In Ancient Europe, mid-winter was the darkest, coldest, and muddiest time of the year. Therefore, people needed to stay motivated and optimistic for the dreary months ahead. [1] The Christian holiday, The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as ‘Twelvetide’ or ‘Christmastide,’ is one of these early festivals meant to keep cheerfulness and stems from these ancient winter celebrations. The holiday's official establishment started when Ancient Rome adopted Christianity, and they faced difficulty converting an entire empire of multiple ethnicities and Pagan beliefs. As a result, Emperor Constantine and the Church had to think strategically about how they would pursue this challenging transition. One solution was to keep traditional days of worship relatively the same but altered to fit the new Church’s principles and divine figures.
Twelvetide comes from the most favored Roman carnival of the year, the Saturnalia festival. From December 17th to the 25th, Romans paid tribute to Saturn, the agriculture god associated with the ‘renewal of light’ during the new year. For this long festival, a carnival atmosphere would fill the streets with public banquets and gift-giving. [2] Homes were decorated in wreaths and evergreen boughs as a happy reminder that nature persists and winter will be over soon. In particular, December 25th marked the holiest day honoring the birth of the sun god Mithra. His conception symbolized renewed light and protection for the upcoming year. Since the church intended to continue this atmosphere, both Saturnalia and Twelvetide had similar meanings and ways of celebration.
Antoine Callet, Saturnalia, 1783, painting. Interpretation of a Roman party scene for Saturnalia Festival by French painter Antoine Callet.
December 25th was adopted by the Church as the birth of Jesus Christ to mimic the feeling of new beginnings and protection as the Christian's savior. Like their ancient predecessors, as a reminder of the coming of spring, during Twelvetide, medieval Englanders decorated their homes with greenery, such as holly, ivy, and wreaths. However, their carnival did not end on December 25th. The next eleven days were followed by feasting and fun, hence the name “Twelve Days of Christmas.” The twelfth night, January 5th, was marked by the Western Church as the eve of Epiphany. In Christian doctrine, Epiphany was when the Three Wise Men or Kings visited Jesus with gifts. This moment was also considered the first public declaration of Jesus’s role as the son of God. [3] This day, by custom, was the wildest and most famous of the twelve days, thanks to the holiday’s amusements. Rules are no longer applied during the night of chaos, misrule, and ‘merrymaking.’ The party of Twelfth Night was especially trendy in Western Europe. Popularized during the middle ages among groups such as the English, French, German, and Dutch, who developed various traditions for the night. Yet, despite cultural differences, the party always consisted of people enjoying each other as they joked, ate, and played games. [4]
Jan Steen, Twelfth Night, 1668, oil on canvas. Jan Steen was a Dutch painter who painted various Twelfth Night party scenes. The viewer can spot many similarities between this 17th-century Twelfth Night party scene and the Roman Saturnalia party scene.
Christmas in the Colonies
In Cathy Kaufman’s The Ideal Christmas Dinner, she describes the Twelve Days of Christmas as the time when:
“little agrarian work needed to be done: animals that could not overwinter were slaughtered to provide gluttonous feasts, and socioeconomic superiors called their inferiors into tolerating the status quo for one more year with gifts of food, liquor, and money and a brief mingling before returning to the strict hierarchy.” [5]
Kaufman describes the holiday as a time of recreation, socialization, and enjoyment. A brief time when the lower working classes were allowed to decompress and neglect the responsibilities forced upon them by a rigid class system. Yet, some disliked this carefree and indulgent nature of Christmas and Twelfth Night. The early Puritan settlers viewed the holiday as lazy, gluttonous, and ‘poppish.’ Too closely related to The Roman Catholic Church, they wanted to escape. The distaste for the ‘Old World’ celebration is apparent in the treatment of Christmas in the earliest British settlements, the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies. The theocratic government enforced by the church elite was expressed when William Bradford, the Puritan governor of Plymouth Colony, famously demanded in 1621 that ‘no public Christmas frolics would occur on his watch’ only a year after the colony’s initial settlement. Not too long after, in 1658 and 1681, the Massachusetts Bay colony outlawed all Christmas celebrations and feasting. If prosecuted, the penalty was five shillings. [6] Thus, the religious tolerance associated today with the founding of America does not fit the perceptions of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Fleeing protestant groups like Puritans, Calvinists, Presbyterians, and Quakers wanted to build communities strictly following their beliefs instead of those they deemed incorrect, such as Christmas. [7]
Public notice banning Christmas in Boston
From the initial settlement in Rhode Island (c. the late 1630s), the tiny territory was a refuge for colonists escaping this extremist clerical authority. Founder Roger Williams desired to create a space of protection for those at risk of persecution or those who wished to express themselves freely. He makes his intentions clear when naming his first settlement Providence, meaning security and care provided by a God or deity. [8] His efforts for free religion and freedom of state are also evident through his massive work establishing the colony’s right to a distinguished standing in North America.
Puritan authority reprimanding colonists for practicing Christmas festivities.
“No person…at any time hereafter shall be any wise molested, punished, disquieted, or called in question, for any differences in opinion in matters of religion,” agreed King Charles II to Rhode Islands ‘lively experiment’ proposed by Williams and Baptist minister John Clarke. The monarch goes on to consent that ‘Rhode Island and the Providence Plantations’ “a most flourishing civil state may stand and best be maintained…with full liberty in religious concernments.” [9]
In the Charter of 1663, Charles II is permitting Rhode Island to practice its progressive ways without interference from the British government. Consequently, this charter became a ‘major milestone’ for religious liberty in America and the rest of the world, as the first colony to officially declare “freedom of conscience.” In turn, this assertion meant that anyone who wanted to celebrate Christmas could do so without fear of the other colonies. Accordingly, the rest of New England looked disgusted at what was happening around the Narragansett Bay. In fear of this dissenting behavior spreading, they made no issue attempting to overpower, destroy, and dis-member the bay towns that included Wickford, Providence, Newport, and others. In May 1643, the colonies of Massachusetts, Plymouth, and Connecticut all formed a military alliance purposeful excluding the “hive of heretics” of what they called “Rogue Island’ and the ‘sewer of New England.” [10]
Rhode Island’s Royal Charter, 1663
Seemingly radical ideologies during the 17th century was not necessarily new, and plenty of Christmas keepers were found in other parts of the American colonies. More ethnically diverse settlements like New York and Philadelphia allowed the open celebration of Christmas and, too, became targeted by the other British colonies. The Dutch, in particular, were openly accepting of mixed faiths, and various winter celebrations took place throughout the settlements of The Hudson River Valley. During the 17th century, when Christmas persecution was rife, New Amsterdamers were threatened with punishment by the Massachusetts Bay Puritans for celebrating the holiday season. [11]
As for the Smith’s and Updikes’s positions on the controversial holiday there’s evidence that they took part in The Twelve Days of Christmas, suggesting multiple Christmas’s would have occurred here at the Castle. Although deeply religious, the wealthier Updikes (Lodowick Updike, his son Daniel, and grandson Lodowick II), like other 18th-century planters, would have been ‘flashier’ about the holiday. Still, as church members of the St. Paul’s congregation (1706), they also partook in the more solemn religious traditions. Since the holiday’s start, the ‘rowdiness’ of Christmastide waited until after Christ’s birth. Christmas day was one that was usually quiet, calm, and respectful. The next day, December 26th, is when the feasting and ‘partying’ started, with mass still required over the next twelve days. [12] Many prominent families, including the Updikes, would have gone to the sermons at St. Paul's Episcoal, the oldest church building in RI and the first in South County. [13]
“Olde Narragansett Church or Wickford’s St. Paul’s Church, built 1707.
Lodowick I was a contributor to the congregation’s fundraising that built the church in 1707, about five miles southwest of Wickford. As an involved church member, he became good friends with the infamous Irish minister and fellow planter James MacSparren. Sent by England to be a missionary and minister for St.Pauls from April 1721 to 1758, Macsparrans preserved diaries, making evident a close relationship with the Updikes. According to his written thoughts, the preacher stayed with the Updikes during his ministerial travels and held private sermons at Smith's castle or the ‘Updike mansion.’ [14] These intimate relations imply that there is a possibility Macsparran held Christmas masses at the castle and even attended one of the Updike dinners, including the night of Ephiphany.
John Smibert, Portrait of Reverand James MacSparran, 1735, oil on canvas, 30 x 25 in.
The planters’ Christmas dinners would have been “fancy collations” with food tables filled with ‘cold roasts, a cornucopia of sweets, temples of sugarplums, and other extravagant dishes.’ [15]
During these feasts, food and drink were center stage, and the main dessert, The Twelfth Night Cake, was the star of the show. As elites, fancy dinner parties were standard among the planters, but this night was particularly relished. If the Twelfth Night was popular among European royals, it was most undoubtedly popular among the new 'gentry' class in the colonies. Nonetheless, these prominent families would not have been the ones who put together these elaborate dinners. Instead, enslaved cooks were the ones who bore the effort of cooking all the food for the multiple feasts that occurred during The Twelve Days of Christmas. The enslaved would have overall been in charge of the entire party production, from setting up, serving guests, and cleaning up the mess that followed. However, it is less known how the enslaved would have been compensated for their hard work. Back in Europe, the lower classes would have been treated better and rewarded during Christmas. As enslaved people were not treated as people but as property, I am still determining to what extent those accommodations applied, if applied at all.
More likely, the enslaved would participate in the solemn religious ceremonies for Twelvetide rather than the extravagant festivities like Twelfth Night. Religious conversion of enslaved Africans was controversial and depended on the group of colonists, but there is evidence that the Planters enforced Christianity. The enslaved population attended mass and performed religious rituals such as the seven sacraments (i.e., baptism, communion, confirmation, etc.). Records show that Reverand MacSparran baptized a few of the Updike's enslaved, which included a newborn baby. This implementation of Christian faith means that individuals like Lily, Mingo, Prince, and others would have attended Christmas masses. However, it is impossible to know their personal relationship with God. Many of those taken from Africa had their own faiths and traditions and did not speak the language to understand the unfamiliar Western religion. Therefore, Christian conversion was easier torwards those young or those born on the plantation and did not know any other beliefs. For example, based on Daniel Updike's 1757 death inventory, the Udikes had several enslaved children. Paul (2 years old), Robie (2 1/2 years old), Ceasar (2 years old), and an unnamed child (of an enslaved woman named Lilie) would be exposed only to Christianity and holidays like Christmas, and Epiphany would have been normalized. Thus, the levels of familiarity and adoption of Christianity determined the meaning of Christmas held by those enslaved in the colonies.
Smith’s Castle large brick Hearth oven located in the Plantation kitchen. The enslaved cooks would have used this hearth to cook the food served for the feasts of Christmastide. The large size was accommodated to feed numerous people on a large plantation, such as the family and guests who would often visit, especially during special times such as Twelfth Night.
The Twelfth Night Cake
During the 16th century, Mary Fleming, a ladies' maid of Mary Queen of Scots, got to wear something luxurious from Mary’s very own wardrobe. This rare moment was only possible due to the Twelfth Night tradition, the Lord of Misrule, a festive game evolving from the Saturnalia custom ‘mock monarchs’ and the medieval winter carnival, ‘Feast of Fools.’ Like its predecessors, the Lord of Misrule, once a year, allowed societal, gender, and class rules to be bent and flipped. [16] The game popularized in medieval European courts consisted of each guest taking a slice of a special dessert modernly known as the Twelfth Night Cake but also referred to as the Bean Cake, Kings Cake, or Epiphany Cake. [17] What makes the cake unique is that the cook drops a dried bean inside the mix before baking. Whoever found the bean in their slice was proclaimed royalty for the night, regardless of age or status. If a male found the bean, he was titled the "bean king.' If a female found the bean, they were announced "queen” and chose her royal partner. [18] The game concept was not just fun but also contributed to the efforts of pleasing lower classes by “giving back” and allowing them to feel as “equals.” temporarily.
Jordaens, The Feast of the Bean King, 1640-1645 (Kunsthistoriches Museum: Vienna
The lucky “royals” had control over the others the whole night, choosing all the songs sung, dances danced, and games played. “The king drinks!” would be yelled in chorus throughout the night whenever the bean king raised his glass, as the others followed suit. [19] These sorts of fun and ‘topsy-turvy’ pranks led the night's events. Depending on the party, the rules of the practice varied. Some people used a bean for the king and a pea for the queen. At some gatherings, each court role was assigned to the guests, who were expected to play along [20]. As the game spread across Europe, different cultures developed unique customs for the ‘King Bean’ tradition. For example, many Dutch and German households instead baked a coin to determine the 'King of the Feast." However, the Twelfth Night Cake became primarily associated with English cuisine and Christmas tradition even though many parts of the world did the custom. Nevertheless, since the Updikes and other planters celebrated Twelfth Night, there is a chance that they took part in the Bean King tradition. [21] Since the Updikes would have celebrated the feast in a affluent fashion, there high chance they took part in the King Bean tradition.
1790’s 12th Night Character. Paper sheets like these could be cut up
into individual cards, so the guest could draw their role.
The Twelfth Night Cake Recipe
Defining ‘cake’ today compared to colonial times would be complicated because cake then was a general culinary category. All traditional cakes had humble beginnings as yeast-leavened bread enriched with dried fruit and ale. Over time, the bread was enriched with brandy, rum, and sugar, slowly evolving into the cakes we know today. However, before the 17th century, any cake recipe recorded was specifically a flat form of bread like the modern ‘oatcake.’ In colonial America, the term ‘cake’ could also mean what we now consider ‘cookies’ which came from the Dutch recipe for ‘Kookies.’ [22]
18th Century 12th Night Ballad.
The Twelfth Night Cake falls into the category of Great Cakes. Great Cakes were enhanced and enlarged cakes for special occasions like weddings, birthdays, or Christmas. For most families, the Twelfth Night Cake was the grandest cake they ate all year due to its large size and decoration. Despite the cake’s significant meaning, the recipe was relatively generic and similar to the other celebratory ‘cakes’ at the time. Published recipes from the 18th and 19th centuries with similar methods and ingredients were called Plum Cakes, Rich Cakes, and Bride cakes. The earliest official account that labels the Epiphany Cake, “The Twelfth Night Cake,” is from 1803, but scholars know Western Europe had long established this tradition. [23]
Twelfth Night cakes, like many things, could indicate status. Lower classes, if not provided the cake by wealthy people, was likely eaten plain and with simple ingredients like fruits and nuts. For higher classes, the cakes can be costly. The elite used the dessert as a way to display their wealth. They frosted the cake and covered it with ornamental sweets and fancy icings. Confectionary artists also molded marzipan to create scenes and figurines around and on the cake. Competitions between the fanciest, most luxurious cakes were common among aristocrats and rivaling bakers. [24] Not until around 1650 and 1800 did sugar become widely available for most people. At that point, an additional coating of white sugar icing on the cake was standard among all classes. [25] With that said, based on the Updike’s high status, their Twelfth Night cake would have included extravagant and elegant adornments.
12th Night Cake Party Scene, 1794
The Twelfth Night Cake Display
The display I created for the museum's Christmas at the Castle was inspired by the rich history of Twelfth Night and the cake that became associated with its celebration. Although, the choices for both the subject and design were a non-linear path to the final product. As I learned more things, discovered artifacts, and faced challenges, things were changed and altered. However, once I decided on my direction, my primary goal was to create an accurate physical representation of how the Updikes would have made the cake.
My aim for the design was to resemble the baker in the middle of the recipe. Having the exhibit showcased in the buttery was undoubtedly helpful in this case. Although dairy products would have been processed in that room, the space is connected to the kitchen (or 'common room') and has plenty of pantry space. Therefore, this area gave the appeal that the cake could have been made there. Bringing the cake to life was also improved by the event's celebration of Christmas and the December wedding of Sarah Updike in 1735. For both occasions, a Great Cake such as Twelfth Night Cake or Brides Cake would have been served to the guests. Consequently, based on these factors, the display appeared as if the cook was preparing to make one of these 'Great Cakes.'
Regarding the ingredients used, many 18th-century recipes called for components to be laid out before baking, so I attempted to recreate that required step. However, deciding what ingredients should be showcased, I did not follow a specific recipe but referred to multiple Twelfth Night and 18th-century cake recipes, or what they called "receipts." After reviewing many recipes, the methods and types of ingredients stayed relatively consistent. There was flexibility in the interchangeability of elements based on several factors. With this circumstance in mind, it would be most historically accurate to choose ingredients that the Updikes may have used based on their location, status, and other clues. With the ingredients determined, I could find associated objects with the processing and storing of the foods used for the display.
Sources:
[1] – Absolute History. The Tudors' Bizarre 12 Days Of Christmas Ritual | Tudor Monastery Farm | Absolute History. YouTube. YouTube, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6_LmIAEyvM.
[2] - Gillan, Joanna. “Why Christmas Is Held on December 25th.” Ancient Origins: Reconstructing the Story of Humanitie's Past (blog), December 26, 2020. https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-general/why-christmas-held-25th-december-001161.
[3] - Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Epiphany." Encyclopedia Britannica, December 7, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Epiphany.
[4] - Susan. “The Twelfth Night.” Web log. The Word Wenches (blog), December 26, 2020. https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2019/01/the-twelfth-night-.html.
[5]- Kaufman, Cathy, “The Ideal Christmas Dinner,” Gastronomica 4, no. 4 (Fall 2004):17-24, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.oswego.edu/stable/pdf/10.1525/gfc.2004.4.4.17.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Aa29d4db68dcd93e595c38b6dabb27865&ab_segments=&origin=&acceptTC=1
[6] – Kaufman, Cathy, “The Ideal Christmas Dinner,” Gastronomica 4, no. 4 (Fall 2004):17-24, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.oswego.edu/stable/pdf/10.1525/gfc.2004.4.4.17.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Aa29d4db68dcd93e595c38b6dabb27865&ab_segments=&origin=&acceptTC=1
[7] – Taylor, Alan. American Colonies, (US:Penguin Books, 2001).
[8]- “Providence, Rhode Island.” The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Accessed January 5, 2023. https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Providence%2c+Rhode+Island.
[9] – Lemons, Stanley J. The Charter of 1663, Major Milestone on the Road to Religious Liberty, A Lively Experiment Reflections on the Charter of 1663, from the series Rhode Island 1663 Colonial Charter Commission, 2013.
[10] - Lemons, Stanley J. The Charter of 1663, Major Milestone on the Road to Religious Liberty, A Lively Experiment Reflections on the Charter of 1663, from the series Rhode Island 1663 Colonial Charter Commission, 2013.
[11] - Kaufman, Cathy, “The Ideal Christmas Dinner,” Gastronomica 4, no. 4 (Fall 2004):17-24, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.oswego.edu/stable/pdf/10.1525/gfc.2004.4.4.17.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Aa29d4db68dcd93e595c38b6dabb27865&ab_segments=&origin=&acceptTC=1
[12] – Absolute History. The Tudors' Bizarre 12 Days Of Christmas Ritual | Tudor Monastery Farm | Absolute History. YouTube. YouTube, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6_LmIAEyvM.
[13] - “History of St. Paul's Wickford.” St. Paul's Website. Accessed January 5, 2023. http://www.stpaulswickford.org/history-of-st-pauls-wickford.html.
[14] – Woodward, Carl R., Plantation in Yankeeland. Narragansett Publishing, 1985.
[15] - Kaufman, Cathy, “The Ideal Christmas Dinner,” Gastronomica 4, no. 4 (Fall 2004):17-24, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.oswego.edu/stable/pdf/10.1525/gfc.2004.4.4.17.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Aa29d4db68dcd93e595c38b6dabb27865&ab_segments=&origin=&acceptTC=1
[16] - Susan. “The Twelfth Night.” Web log. The Word Wenches (blog), December 26, 2020. https://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2019/01/the-twelfth-night-.html.
[17] - Kaufman, Cathy, “The Ideal Christmas Dinner,” Gastronomica 4, no. 4 (Fall 2004):17-24, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.oswego.edu/stable/pdf/10.1525/gfc.2004.4.4.17.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Aa29d4db68dcd93e595c38b6dabb27865&ab_segments=&origin=&acceptTC=1
[18] – “Twelfth Night Cake.” British Food: A History, September 17, 2021. https://britishfoodhistory.com/2019/01/05/twelfth-night-cake/.
[19] - Ermakova, Elizaveta. “King Drinks: Jacob Jordaens and the Feast of the Bean King.” Daily Art, July 17, 2020.
[20] - Rayner, Nicola, Discover Britain, and Nancy Alsop. “Mischief and Misrule at Twelfth Night.” Discover Britain, January 25, 2016. https://www.discoverbritainmag.com/mischief-misrule-twelfth-night/.
[21] – “12th Night: Fun & Games and 12th Cake!” 12th Night: Fun & Games and 12th Cake!, December 31, 2010. https://lostpastremembered.blogspot.com/2010/12/12th-night-fun-games-and-12th-cake.html.
[22] – Charsley, Simon, “The Wedding Cake: History and Meanings,” Folklore 99, no. 2 (1988): 232-241, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.oswego.edu/stable/pdf/1260461.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Af294ac237f60b6222c60e95648038284&ab_segments=&origin=&acceptTC=1
[23] – A Wonderful "Twelfth Night" Cake. YouTube. YouTube, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS1CQlacX2U&t=385s.
[24] – “Twelfth Night Cake.” British Food: A History, September 17, 2021. https://britishfoodhistory.com/2019/01/05/twelfth-night-cake/.
[25] - Charsley, Simon, “The Wedding Cake: History and Meanings,” Folklore 99, no. 2 (1988): 232-241, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.oswego.edu/stable/pdf/1260461.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3Af294ac237f60b6222c60e95648038284&ab_segments=&origin=&acceptTC=1