Comfortable beds would also become more and more common. People had also been fond of sweet foods, again if they could afford them, as sugar was very expensive. I know that from my trip in Wales in 2010, that up to that time, children participated in Nativity plays during their Christmas holiday, and it seemed as though that was a tradition, so the performing of plays at Christmas still continues to this day in other parts of the United Kingdom. Thank you. The most important person was an appointed magistrate called the Justice of the Peace. Any place was considered to be a town if it had more than 1,000 inhabitants. It was made from roasted apples, beer, nutmeg, ginger and sugar and the name came from the froth on top. They would not have decorated their homes until Christmas Eve either, as it was thought to be unlucky to do it before that time. Wow thank you so much for your kind compliment. All around England, there was a 'coastal trade'. Romeo and Juliet is a tragic 16th century Shakespearean love story set Other people made used candles made from tallow (animal fat) which gave off an unpleasant smell and the poor made do with rushlights (rushes dipped in animal fat). Poor women often wore a linen cap called a coif. During the 16th century, many people died from epidemics such as the sweating sickness and possibly influenza. All classes gambled in 16th century England. London grew enormously in the 16th century. These would usually contain one or two verses like a short poem, but usually with a sarcastic or satirical thought. The punishment for a woman who had killed her husband was burning, although the executioner had usually strangled the woman with a rope before burning her. People would take the time to visit friends and the time was seen as a great community celebration. People slept in four-poster beds hung with curtains to reduce drafts. If they were lucky they might attend a seven-year apprenticeship and learn a trade. http://study.com/academy/lesson/japan-in-the-16th-century-life-culture-politics.html When I researched the 16, century for what society was like, punishments for crimes, clothing, medicine and education mostly all I could find was either about Tudor England or it didn’t apply to this century, but the 18, , a bit far ahead. Here is a little more about Christmas that I came across while looking for information on life during the 16th century. They enjoyed both comedies and tragedies. People would also perform plays as a Christmas tradition. The word carol means a dance with a song, and this flourished throughout Tudor times as a way to celebrate and spread the message of the nativity. Even if you had survived smallpox it could leave you disfigured with pox marks or even blind. Given the fluctuating state of identities, could the crisis of power centralization precipitate skepticism on the heroes of The Return of Martin Guerre? These women would often live with a relative, but had to work long hours in order to support themselves. These people were then forced to return to the parish that they were born in or where they had lived for the last two years. The printing press made books much cheaper so reading was a popular pastime for well off people. Then there was the Tudor Christmas pie. The Tudors did not have Christmas trees, although they were around in the 16. century. By 1600 its population was over 250,000. Upper class and middle-class women were educated. They were also milliners, dyers and embroiderers. (They were called Bartholomew babies because they were sold at St Bartholomew's fair in London). In 1532, Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire in South America. More serious crimes were punished by death. Gender roles, social status, and religion played major roles in what type of life people would encounter. The pies would have thirteen ingredients to represent Jesus and the apostles. Can the monumental epistemological changes of the time (e.g. Supposedly that is why today we have fairy lights. In the 16th century ordinary people made much of their own food. Lunch was from 11 am to 1 pm. They provided flanking fire. They had benches, stools, a table and wooden chests.