Work was not the only thing that kept people alive in the Middle Ages. While work certainly took up a lot of their time, our ancestors enjoyed their leisure time not so differently than we do. They enjoyed more fun and knew how to have a good time.

We can zoom in on the very ordinary daily life of a middle-class man who never suffered from hunger or lack, but had to know his trade well. The hours of the day were set according to the time the sun rose and set. Of course, summer days were long and winter days were short. Still, they worked at least half a day. The noon meal was at least two hours long. Even in the Middle Ages, there were holidays when people did not have to work. Sunday came from the word “not work,” and the seventh day of the week was never worked. There were nine dozen holidays, and our ancestors might have been envious.

These ample holidays were used for entertainment, but were often filled with other work. Especially in villages where livestock were kept, holidays were spent surrounded by an abundance of food and drink. Among the games, dice were particularly popular, but the church leaders of the time were not pleased with this. The “forbidden fruit” was the most delicious. People also enjoyed participating in plays, holding contests, and holding beauty pageants similar to ours (which at the time elected the queen of the harvest).

The wealthy classes loved to visit the countryside, where the ladies sought peace among the trees and picked flowers, and the gentlemen organized horseback rides, often combined with hunting. Picnics, dancing, and singing also took place in the countryside. Much like today\’s pastimes.
From catching fish to dancing to grand feasts, people entertained themselves in a variety of ways. We haven\’t changed that much in hundreds of years, don\’t you think?