In The Tudor Period

14. Children were whipped on Holy Innocents’ Day, to remind them of the suffering of the infants killed by King Herod

This was in remembrance of King Herod ordering the slaying of all infant boys under two years of age, in an attempt to destroy the infant Christ. Due to its sombre associations, Holy Innocents was a day of fasting for adults, and sometimes, when children woke up, they were whipped – perhaps not too hard – as they lay in bed, to remind them of the suffering of the murdered innocents. However, for the rest of the day, they were allowed greater licence and even permitted to play in church. It was, essentially, a children’s feast.