Prominence of Eating in the English Christmas--The Boar's Head, the Goose, and other Christmas Fare--Frumenty, Sowens, Yule Cakes, and the Wassail Bowl--Continental Christmas Dishes, their Possible Origins--French and German Cakes--The Animals' Christmas Feast--Cakes in Eastern Europe--Relics of Animal Sacrifice--Hunting the Wren--Various Games of Sacrificial Origin. FEASTING CUSTOMS. In the mind of the average sensual Englishman perhaps the most vivid images called up by the word Christmas are those connected with eating and drinking. "Ha piu da fare che i forni di Natale in Inghilterra,"[108] an Italian proverb used of a very busy person, sufficiently suggests the character of our Christmas.[109] It may be that the Christmas dinner looms larger among the English than among most other peoples, but in every country a distinctive meal of some kind is associated with the season. We have already seen how this illustrates the immemorial connection between material feasting and religious rejoicing. Let us note some forms of "Christmas fare" and try to get an idea of their origin. First we may look at English feasting customs, though, as they have been pretty fully described by |284| previous writers, no very elaborate account of them need be given. The gross eating and drinking in former days at Christmas, of which our present mild gluttony is but a pale reflection, would seem to be connected with the old November feast, though transferred to the season hallowed by Christ's birth. The show of slaughtered beasts, adorned with green garlands, in an English town just before Christmas, reminds one strongly of the old November killing. In displays of this kind the pig's head is specially conspicuous, and points to the time when the swine was a favourite sacrificial animal.{1} We may recall here the traditional carol sung at Queen's College, Oxford, as the boar's head is solemnly brought in at Christmas, and found elsewhere in other forms:-- "The boar's head in hand bear I, Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary; And I pray you, my masters, be merry, _Quot estis in convivio._ _Caput apri defero,_ _Reddens laudes Domino._"{2} The Christmas bird provided by the familiar "goose club" may be compared with the German Martinmas goose. The more luxurious turkey must be relatively an innovation, for that bird seems not to have been introduced into England until the sixteenth century.{3}