Sep 12, 2025
dancing a carole in the garden
The most documented form of secular dance during the Middle Ages is the carol [...], known from the 12th and 13th centuries in Western Europe in rural and court settings. It consisted of a group of dancers holding hands usually in a circle, with the dancers singing in a leader and refrain style while dancing. No surviving lyrics or music for the carol have been identified. [wikipedia]
illustration from a manuscript of the roman de la rose, written by guillaume de lorris and jean de meun in the 13th century. this manuscript was created in anjou (france), c. 1460
source: Paris, BnF, Français 19153, fol. 7r
