Games and sports were common forms of entertainment and relaxation. There were wrestling matches and games in which balls were kicked, hit, and thrown. People played cards, dice, and board games of all types. They trained dogs to fight each other or put them in an enclosure to fight a captured bear. In Spain, Muslim knights confronted and killed bulls from horseback as part of religious feast days, developing a highly ritualized ceremony that would later be further adapted by Spain’s Christians. All these sports and games were occasions for wagering and gambling.

Religious and family celebrations also meant dancing. Men and women danced in lines toward a specific object, such as a tree or a maypole, or in circles, groups, or pairs with specific step patterns. They were accompanied by a variety of instruments. Musicians playing string or percussion instruments often sang as well, and people sang without instrumental accompaniment on festive occasions or while working.