Mythic Monday: Praise the Plough

Plough Monday is the first Monday after January 6th or Twelfth Night. A centuries old agricultural celebration in England, it commemorated the day that farmers returned to work for the winter ploughing season after the holy days of Christmas.

In some villages, particularly in northern and eastern England, a rowdy procession of young men dragged a decorated plough from house to house, collecting money along the way and originally carrying a lit candle or “plough light.” The participants blackened their faces to keep from being recognized and made mock threats against any homeowner who did not contribute money or at least food and drink. They were often accompanied by musicians, decked out young women, a feisty old woman or a boy dressed as an old woman, called the “Bessy,” and a man in the role of the “jester” or “fool.” The fool’s attire consisted of skins and a tail, and he would sometimes carry a pig’s bladder containing a suet pudding on a stick. The atmosphere involved singing, dancing, feasting, and rollicking revelry as a last ditch “paint the town” before rising by dawn the following morning to commence hard labor.

The merriment of Plough Monday is well documented back to the 16th century, and even 13th century papers describe a “plough candle” being lit in churches. In medieval times the church customarily bestowed a blessing upon the decorated plough as a symbol of a steady work ethic and bountiful harvest to come. After falling out of favor, Plough Monday celebrations resumed in more modern times, as at Maldon in Essex.

A traditional food for Plough Monday is “Plough Pudding,” a boiled suet pudding.
Ingredients: 1 pound suet (the hard white fat on the kidneys and loins of cattle, sheep, and other animals, used to make puddings and mincemeat), 1 1/4 pounds dried fruit, 6 eggs, 2 tablespoons flour, several pinches nutmeg, 1 glass of brandy.  Instructions: Mix. Wrap in sturdy cloth and boil for six hours.