Medieval Pastimes and Sports

Medieval Times could be very tough depending on when in the medieval period we are talking about. Later in the Middle Ages when things started to stablize there was more time for hobbies and pastimes. They didn't have the diversity of pastimes that we have now. They still had to spend a significant amount of their time on the basic but they did have some free time (particularly nobility) so here is a list of some of the pastimes that they enjoyed.

The Picture shown here at left is of King Conradin Hawking. He lived from 1252-1268.

Medieval Sports

People of Medieval Towns and villages did enjoy a variety of sports and many of them are a precursor to sports we still enjoy today.

Feasts, festivals, holidays, and saints days were an important part of the pastimes of people during the middle ages. Many of these special days were accompanied by special rites, songs, dance and plenty of food and drink. Some of these festivals were religious such as Easter when they would celebrate the appearance of the green man who was a dressed in green branches and would dance through the streets.

May was a very important time because it was the beginning of spring and it was often celebrated with something called The Morris dance and Dancing around the Maypole.

Going to Church was also a pastime and a form of recreation. for poor peasants it was possibly the only place where they were exposed to the wonders of architecture and art. they could look at and enjoy the icons and paintings, sculpture and stained glass windows.