Romeo and Juliet

After the meal feasters participated in a playlet called “Bringing Home the Bacon” that reminded them that true love is hard work. Traditionally, since the 14th century, a prize-half a pig-was given to any couple who, after a year and a day of marriage, could swear that they did not have any regrets about being married. Couples, real or pretend, who asserted they had no regrets were placed on trial at which they had to prove their claim. Twelve guests (the jury) and the judge questioned the couples to try to disprove their claim. The result was usually a humorous dialogue. After the couples were questioned, the jury would then decide the verdict and name the couple that would “bring home the bacon.”

The last event of the day was a candlelight procession around the feast hall. Everyone carried a small loaf of bread in which a candle was placed. Afterward, they would set aside 3/4 of the bread to be eaten the following day. They preserved the remaining quarter for the next year’s celebration, at which time the bread would be made into crumbs and fed to the birds to indicate the beginning of the new festival.

~Prentice Hall Literature