Page 57 - All About History - Issue 52-17

Medieval #Trends

LOCATION: FRANCE ORIGINALLY, BUT LATER ALL OF EUROPE
Starting the year as they meant to go on, many
people of medieval Europe joined together at
the beginning of January to celebrate the Feast
of Fools. This eclectic event, like most Christian
festivals, was inspired by a pagan festival –
Saturnalia – and turned the status quo on its
head. The highest respected officials swapped
with the lowest, serving maids became masters
and a king of misrule was crowned.
Although originally intended to be confined
only to the hallowed halls of churches, the
common people took it upon themselves
to celebrate. There were parades, comic
performances, costumes, cross-dressing,
bawdy songs and, of course, drinking to excess.
Not entirely related but equally as difficult to
comprehend, was the Festival of the Ass, where
a young girl carrying a child would ride a donkey
into church, and throughout the service the
congregation replaced ‘amen’ with a ‘hee-haw.’
Considering the celebration was held in super-
strict Christian medieval Europe, it’s impressive
it survived for so long. However, over time the
rules were tightened, certain acts forbidden and
the final nail in the coffin of fun came with the
Protestant reformation, which condemned all the All bets were off for
enjoyable excesses. The Feast of Fools

“Throughout the service the congregation
replaced ‘amen’ with a sombre ‘hee-haw’”

LOCATION: WESTERN EUROPE
Being a jester in the Middle Ages may seem
a terrible fate, after all their hats were
modelled on the ears of an ass, however
jesters were granted unique privileges. As
everything that came out of their mouths
was by royal decree, to be taken in ‘jest’,
they could get away with slandering the
lords and ladies of court, and voice their
political opinions in a time when doing so
© Alamy, Shutterstock
was strictly forbidden. Being funny pays, Jesters enjoyed
freedom of speech
even in the medieval court.

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