Easter feasting with the Royal Stewarts

21 April 2011

Visit Stirling Castle this weekend.

See some of the fabulous dishes that Stewart kings and queens would have tucked into when they celebrated Easter at Stirling Castle. Treats like a trout presented to look like it’s swimming up a bed of seaweed, will be displayed on the high table in the Great Hall over the holiday weekend, starting on Friday 22nd April.

The Stewarts and their court traditionally went to the castle at this time of year and took part in religious ceremonies in the old Chapel Royal. It was also a time to indulge in lots of food and fun as it marked the end of Lent. In some ways it was effectively the start of the royal year – long cold winters were behind and summer joys lay ahead.

Visitors will be able to find out just what it was like from costumed characters who will stage performances in the Chapel Royal and Great Hall, from the Friday to the Monday, and will talk about Easter (or Pasche) in the 16th century. There will be guards, maids, nobles and possibly even the dowager queen herself – Mary of Guise.

These small-scale events, under the title of A Stewart Easter, will also provide a sneak preview of the costumes and characters that visitors can look forward to when the royal palace opens in June. Performances will take place throughout the day.

For further information:

Matthew Shelley 01786 431325

• A full media pack about the palace project and the Stirling Heads is available online at www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/mediapack

Notes for editors:

• For all the latest on the palace project, and everything else that happening at Stirling Castle, visit our website at www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/newsletter and sign up for our free e-newsletter.
  
• Stirling Castle is at the top of Stirling Old Town off the M9 at junction 9 or 10. Call 01786 450000
  
• Historic Scotland has 345 historic properties and sites in its care. These include some of the leading tourism attractions in the country, including Edinburgh, Stirling, and Urquhart Castles, Fort George, Linlithgow Palace, the Border Abbeys, and Skara Brae. For further details visit: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/places.
  
• Historic Scotland’s Mission is to safeguard Scotland’s historic environment and to promote its understanding and enjoyment.
  
• Historic Scotland around the web: www.twitter.com/welovehistory, www.facebook.com – search for Make Your Own History, www.youtube.com/historicscotlandtv and www.flickr.com/groups/makeyourownhistory