By Lani Duke
posted
Dec 27, 2012
Making a fool of yourself as the new year begins has been a
tradition since before medieval times. In fact, origins of "The
Festival of Fools" as it was known, date back to the pre-Christian
Rome festival to honor the harvest god Saturn.
The Festival of Fools was particularly unique as it was common
for, slaves and masters to switch roles; laws governing acceptable
social behavior were ignored. People in countries all across Europe
soon took part.
Part of the festival was to elect a King of Fools, often dressed
in harlequin style. In England, this person was also know as the
"King of the Bean" and, in Scotland, the "Abbot of Unreason."
Celebrants might practice cross dressing, sing bawdy songs,
drink to excess, or gamble on the church altar, among other
things.
Parisians had a particularly infamous reputation. Centuries later,
Victor Hugo featured the event in his popular story of Quasi Modo
as the King of Fools in Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Disney did their homework for the recent animation of that
story, capturing the spirit of the feast with these lyrics:
Come one, come all!
Leave your looms and milking stools
Coop the hens and pen the mules.
Come one, come all!
Close the churches and the schools
It's the day for breaking rules
Come and join the feast of Fools!
It's no wonder, that these extreme celebrations and wild
excesses, brought on both Protestant and Catholic Church
backlashes. The Protestant Reformation condemned all such
behavior and eventually strict laws forbidding the buffoonery
followed in the 1600's.
