Following on from 2011′s highly successful show A Victorian Christmas, acclaimed historical entertainment company Blast from the Past delve further back in time for 2012 to bring you A Medieval Christmas.

Featuring long-forgotten festive songs (plus some surprisingly familiar carols!) played on authentic instruments such as cittern, hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes and shawm, this celebration of Yuletide Past is sure to warm the hearts of young and old. Christmas in the Middle Ages was very different from the celebration that we know today – yet many of our Yuletide customs stem from this period, such as carol singing and kissing under the mistletoe.

A Medieval Christmas explores the origins of some these practices. It also sheds light on some slightly less pleasant Christmas customs such as the festive game of “the smoking of the fool”, not to mention the annual “beating of the children”!

The medieval period is also famous for its tales of magic and adventure, and A Medieval Christmas pays homage to this tradition by presenting two of Geoffrey Chaucer’s best-loved Canterbury Tales in all their finery – one of them complete with animal masks and chicken costumes.

A Medieval Christmas is the ideal festive show for anyone looking to recapture the simple Yuletide pleasures of music, song, tales, mirth and fellowship.

Tickets: £10, £8 conc

Box office: 01392 270891

http://www.barnfieldtheatre.org.uk/