Reasons to Parté Hearté in 985 AD

Fight for your right to party!

I've been trying to find information about a particular marriage in Wessex history -- that's Anglo Saxon history for you Normans.  In particular I want to write a chapter on a royal wedding for my upcoming book of stories Alehouse Tales.  I was going to get to make it up mostly since they don't actually know when Aethelraed II, he who was called Unready, married Theodir of York's daughter, Aelfgifu.  I at least thought he had... and I was planning my two bards to arrive in time to get gigs at the festival and to have the alehouse packed to the thatch and lots of fun stuff going on.

Then Helen Hollick, author of The Forever Queen, who knows all about these things told me it was likely Aelfgifu was not a church sanctified wife, in fact she suggested she might be no more than one of good old Aethie's concubines.. so there went my parté out the unglazed window.  Fortunately she relented and said just to keep the Church out of it and, as she put it, I could still have my "knees up bash".  Phew!

In the meantime, while I was still pouting, I had started thinking of other reasons my alehouse denizens could kick up their.. um.. heels and celebrate.  here are some of the ideas I had.. can you offer some more?

• Winchesterama
• Sidewalk Sales Day in The Brooks
• King Alfred Days
• Merry Men Pride Week
• The Burned Cakes Festival
• Founders Day at the Nunnaminster
• Take Your Aetheling to Work Day
• Mercian Independence Day
• Dia de los Reyes Muertos
• St. Swithin's Day... oh wait, that's a real one
• Veterans of Viking Wars Day
• Winchester  to Romsey Fun Run
• Monastic Arts Festival
• Picnic in the Itchen Meadows Day
• Bloðmothfest

And that's not to mention Midsummer, Jul, Mayday and Michaelmas!

So says King Aethelraed, ready or not, it's time to party hearty!