SERFS' LIFE Life was hard for serfs. Family would wake up, have some bread and work in the lord's field all day long. They planted and harvested the crops and  tended cattle. Even children had jobs and chores. They usually ate only bread and vegetables. The only days off they had were the holy days celebrated by the Catholic church.  The word holiday comes from the tradition of having holy days off work in medieval Times.  Serf's children did not go to school. Most serfs could not read. They learned about the world by listening told by story tellers.  Serfs were allowed to live on the lord's land as long as they worked, but they owned no land.  They paid rent to the lord by giving him a big part of their crops. Serf was a little bit better than a slave because he had some rights.