Functions of festivals in Early Modern Europe :: European Europe History

Functions of feasts in Early Modern EuropeWhat were the functions of popular festivals, etc. in Early Modern Europe? And why did the authorities, civil and ecclesiastical try on to control or suppress them?In Early Modern Europe festivals were the setting for heroes and their stories, to be celebrated by the populace. They posed a change from their popular life. In those age people lived in remembrance of one festival and in expectance of the next. Different kinds of festivals were celebrated in different ways. There were festivals that marked an case-by-case occasion and werent part of the festival calendar, like family festivals such as weddings and christenings. Some took place at the same time every year and were for everyone, like lodge festivals like the different saints days. Pilgrimages took place all year round. Annuals festivals like Christmas and Midsummer always took place on the same day every year.In those days the average village in Western Europe celebrated at l east 17 festivals annually, not counting family occasions and saints days. Some festivals, such as Carnival, lasted several days or some generation even several weeks. In the Netherlands Carnival started every year at the 11th of November (St. Martin) and culminated in a colossal festival of Dranck, pleijsier ende vrouwen (Drink, fun and women) at the end of the Carnival period, preceding the period of Lent. Festivals were meant to take the minds of the people off their everyday life , off the hard times and their work. Everyday life in Early Modern Europe was filled with rituals, both religious and secular. Songs and stories played an important role in their lives, although they sometimes correct the details of the legends and stories to fit the way they thought a certain festival should take place. Popular culture was mixed with ecclesiastical culture in umteen ways. The story of St. John the Baptist is a good example of this. The ancient ritual of bathing and lighting fires du ring Midsummers Eve was a remnant of a ritual from the pre-Christian period. levy and water, symbols of purification, could be seen as the tools of St. John the Baptist, and therefore a combination of the two elements of popular and ecclesiastical culture was obvious. It looks as if the Medieval Church took over the festival and made it theirs. The same thing happened to the Midwinter Festival, which became linked with the birth of Christ, on 25 December.