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Show Great Yule Feast Given by King Richard in 1399 CHRISTMAS in England, of course, is an old feast day, though the Santa Claus and Christmas tree traditions come to us from another source. William E. Mead's "The English Eng-lish Medieval Feast" (Houghton, Mifflin) Mif-flin) quotes, from Stow's "Survey of London," an account of the great feast which King Richard gave in Westminster Westmin-ster Hall In the year 13!)9, just after rebuilding the hall of William Rufus: "A most royal Christmas, with daily joustings and runnings at tilt, where-unto where-unto resorted such a number of people peo-ple that there was every day spent 28 or 26 oxen, and 300 sheep, besides fowl without number; he caused a gown for. himself, to be made of gold, garnished with pearl and precious stones, to the value ot 3,00(1 marks; he was guarded by Cheshire men and had about him commonly 13 bishops, besides barons, knights, squires, and others more than needed ; insomuch that to the household came every day to meet 10,000 people, as appeareth by the messes told out from the kitchen to 300 servitors." |