Feast days included the twelve days of Christmas, Easter Sunday, funerals, anniversaries, and saints’ days. Even the completion of a time-consuming task, such as harvest, meant one was rewarded with a feast. In Paris, the feast of St. Denis was renowned throughout Europe and lasted the entire month of October. Companies and guilds sponsored feasts on special days, as did members of the aristocracy, which confirmed the lord’s generosity and place in the social network. Often feasts had spectators who watched the retinue eat, though they themselves did not partake. Entertainment was always provided and consisted of music, dancers, jugglers, minstrels, acrobats, and even animal trainers.
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