The New Year's song about the boar's head is one of the oldest and most unusual songs in the Christmas repertoire of medieval England. A humorous poem dating to at least the early 15th century describes the ritual presentation of a boar's head at a Christmas feast, a tradition that still exists today. Medieval portal.net speak more about it.
The tradition of using wild boar's head as the main dish at large parties, especially Christmas, has been around for many centuries. Although the exact reason this dish became so popular is unknown, it is likely that wild boar's head became coveted because of the dangers of hunting such a ferocious animal. This means that serving such a dish is both an impressive trophy and a symbol of victory.
In medieval England, a boar's head was served on the table in a grand procession, led by trumpeters. The delicacy is presented on a gilded plate, luxuriously decorated with laurel and rosemary. A similar tradition is recorded in various royal and university sources. For example, at the coronation of his son Henry II in 1170, the king personally served a wild boar's head on the table to the sound of trumpets. Queen's College, Oxford, founded in 1340, maintains this tradition to this day.
The boar head meal also reflects ancient pagan rituals, including the sacrifice of the Scandinavian boar to the god Frey – it symbolized fertility and good luck, and elements of it were later adapted into Christian holidays. Some scholars also link the tradition of holding such a feast with Germanic paganism.
But in the 19th century, the feast of the boar's head was an important day in the Christian calendar – it was celebrated at Queen's College in England. On Christmas Eve, the head of the largest, most attractive boar was decorated with wreaths of laurel and rosemary, after which two senior servants of the university ceremoniously carried the dish into the dining room on their shoulders. And following them were members of the university and the choir.
As the procession moved, one of the college members sang a Christmas song and the choir responded with a chorus. When they reached the vice-principal, they stopped and placed the boar's head in front of them; The meat is first divided among those sitting at the prestigious table, then it is passed around the hall so that everyone present can get it. And no, contrary to rare claims, boar heads were never replaced with wooden heads.
There is also a legend in Oxford about a student who was reading Aristotle in the woods when he was attacked by a wild boar. To escape the beast, he immediately stuffed the book into its mouth and shouted that “it's in Greek.” So he strangled the wild boar – his action symbolized the resourcefulness of scientists.
