First of all, it is important to note that the European winter begins at the end of December and ends in the last weeks of March. At Middle Ages, the way of dealing with winter is completely different from what is seen today. while we count on technologies that allow us to live comfortably and without major concerns about food conservation, the medieval people did not have these blessed resources and went through difficulties. So how and what did they do to survive the winter? Check it out now.
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How people coped with medieval winter
Due to the regularity of the season, many concerns arose when winter was about to start, so people prepared in advance to face the winter.
Agriculture was the main source of food, but winter greatly compromised the peasants' harvest, since snow and cold were very intense at that time. In addition, hunting at the time was also compromised. Understand now the difficulties and solutions encountered by the medievals.
Temperature
As the seasons are well defined in Europe, the inhabitants suffered a lot from low temperatures, air currents and, in certain regions, the incidence of high levels of snow was common.
food preservation
Without the famous refrigerators, people needed to overcome this obstacle in order not to end up losing meat and running out of food stored for the winter. In order to obtain animal food before winter arrived, a common practice was to overfeed the animals to fatten them up faster. When slaughtering the animal that reached the “ideal weight”, large amounts of salt were applied to the meat to prolong its shelf life.
Planting
Just before winter began, peasants sowed the land and hoped that the seeds could germinate during the winter and bear fruit in the coming seasons.
Heating
Fire was the main source of heat, so houses were equipped with fireplaces, bonfires, and portable braziers. However, fires in homes were commonplace, making life even more difficult for medieval people.
protection of houses
Dwellings at that time allowed a lot of drafts to enter, and so people used to cover the windows with mortar or paper.
dress
Scarves, wool coats and gloves served the nobles, and the peasants were content with the skin of dead animals.