Festivals are an indispensable ritual in society and a "condiment" for people's busy lives. In the Middle Ages, festivals were held in their spare time and were often viewed with a sacred eye. At that time, although people could not shop, they also sang and danced, and they were not happy.
First, the historical background of the flourishing festivals in the Middle Ages
In the middle of the Middle Ages, with the accumulation of wealth and economic status of citizens, the celebratory life of the city began to appear. Unlike the urban festivals of the Greco-Roman era, the religious atmosphere of the medieval urban festivals was stronger, and the object of worship was changed from the gods to Jesus or the Virgin. In order to reflect the superior position of the city, the people who govern the city and the citizens are keen to hold "festival competitions". As a result, the scale and atmosphere of the festival once became a testimony for citizens to boast to the Gentiles, who often competed for the scale of the city's celebrations.
A bustling and crowded city during the festival
Some people must wonder, in the Middle Ages, there were no shopping malls and business circles, nor vehicles such as cars and planes for people to travel long distances, what kind of happiness did people have in the festival? The commercial atmosphere of modern festivals is indeed too heavy, so much so that it dilutes the sense of longing that people used to welcome traditional festivals. In the Middle Ages, citizens celebrated festivals not only for the stimulation of the flesh or to satisfy the desire to consume, but were often associated with personal honor, religious piety, and a sense of community identity.
Second, the southern European festival style represented by Florence: political and entertaining intersect
Florence was a rapidly growing industrial and commercial city, with a position in medieval Europe as Shanghai did in East Asia. Busy economic activity, constant political struggles, and careful diplomacy combined to form different aspects of Florence's history, and this feature is also reflected in the city's festivals. It can be said that every festival in Florence has a strong purpose or motivation behind it.
Florence
The flamboyant style of festivals can be roughly divided into two types, the first of which is the conventional "periodic festival". Influenced by national traditions and historical habits, Florentines participate in religious blessings, carnival processions, and commemoration of saints on a fixed date every year. It is worth mentioning that some ostensibly commemorative saints are often used in the name of saints to commemorate victories or major anniversaries of urban wars. For example, the famous Banabas Festival commemorates the victory of Florence in Partino, while St. Anne's Day celebrates the successful exile of the Duke of Athens.
The biggest role of the periodic festival is that it can provide spiritual relaxation and pleasure for the people at a fixed time every year, regardless of the will of the ruler, and such a celebration is said to be about 40 days a year. Whenever the festival comes, citizens can often enjoy elegant music and dance, and ornamental knightly competitions. City rulers also paid a lot of money to invite strangers from all over the world to perform stunts in Florence, and it is said that the earliest magic shows in Europe appeared in Florence.
Ritual knightly competition
Some rulers organized celebrations at all costs and issued temporary tax reduction vouchers to attract merchants from all over the world to the city. Aristocratic men and women dressed in sumptuous clothes can be seen everywhere on the streets, and sometimes out-of-town tourists will take advantage of the festival to come to Florence for recreation. The clergy class also actively participated in the celebrations with a view to promoting the holiness and majesty of the divine ruling class. The procession of the clergy tended to be ahead of the ranks of the elders and senior officials of the ruling order, dressed in extravagant robes, followed by monks who bowed their heads and chanted hymns. They sometimes exhibit the magic tools or bones of a certain saint, often attracting the curious eyes of the common people.
Festivals: Imitating the citizens dressed by the medieval clergy class
The second type of festival is a "welcoming festival" organized according to diplomatic needs, which has the strongest political atmosphere. Due to the fierce political strife on the Italian peninsula, the balance of power between cities, between cities and popes, and between cities and Spanish, French and other dynasties, the city's diplomatic behavior is extremely frequent. In 1386, the Hungarian ambassador visited Florence. The Guilf party sent knights dressed in colorful brocade out of the city to greet them, and even set off dozens of rows of flame cannons (possibly fireworks) that night. These good-looking, tall knights were florentine honor guards, and they represented the overall image of the city.
Due to its long-standing hostility with Naples, Florence "celebrated" for three days and three nights after Charles VIII captured Naples in 1495. It is said that the city was full of French soldiers and mercenaries who were regarded as idols, and the Florentines even put tables and chairs on the streets and invited soldiers from house to door to eat. The government also deliberately arranged dancers to serve the soldiers on the streets of the city for their pleasure.
Soldiers attend a festive feast
Third, the northwest European festival represented by England: simple and pious
Unlike the Florentines, who "laughed and did not laugh", the simple English people treated the festival more simply and religiously. Probably because economic and political construction was not as developed as the Italians, the Englishmen's dependence on agriculture in the Middle Ages determined the simplicity and simplicity of the local population. Whether they live in the city or in the countryside, they respect the festival.
There are also two kinds of festivals in the UK, the first is a cyclical festival arranged by people according to the solar terms and weather. Since Scotland and Ireland have been the face of "monastic piety" in European history, the religious festivals throughout the British Isles are quite strong. For example, the Epiphany on January 6 to Easter on March 21 in the spring is not only a time when crops such as oats, peas, and soybeans are in urgent need of maturity, but also two festivals that require Christians to pray and experience the grace of God.
Children gathered around in front of the village priest
Entering the summer, the harvest festival on August 1 is the stage of re-cultivation and care before the final harvest of crops. After the farmers fertilize the soil and remove the weeds, there will be manor monks to pray for the harvest. From this day until St. Michael's Day in autumn, farmers pray for a good harvest and harvest their crops on The day of Michael. It can be seen that the festivals of the English people are indeed pure festivals that grew out of "religion and land".
People have neither crazy feasts nor the desire for luxury enjoyment, but will pick up hoes and work hard during the festival! For example, on the first Monday after the Epiphany, people hold a ploughing contest in the fields. The peasants were divided into several groups, dragging the bulky stupid plow, but whoever dragged the plough to the ground would receive a penny from the contractor, and the group that collected the most coins would win. On St. Martin's Day, farmers, though reluctant to give up their farm work, go to the kitchen to help their wives bake milk puddings and shortbread. Such a diligent way of celebrating the festival is admirable.
Men and children who rarely "cook" during the festival
The second type of festival was the ceremonial celebration in the cities of England, which was gradually introduced from London to the major cities after the consolidation of the English crown. On Christian holy days, guild elders or city administrators serving the monarch solemnly hold a feasting day. In Norwich in the 15th century, a total of 63 guilds participated in the festive performances of the "Corpus Christi". Among them, the blacksmith will be responsible for the temporary erection of the performance venue, and the weaver will be responsible for the customization of the performance costume. People cooperate with each other, and the performances take the form of plays, mimes, or chants, and each play can be seen as a warning speech that highlights the visual feast of Christianity from the perspective of human redemption.
Medieval festival drama
Wen Shijun said
Ceremonial celebrations not only have a subtle impact on people's sense of belonging, but also strengthen the sense of goodwill and identity among the residents of the same city. By creating an atmosphere of unity and harmony within the city, celebrations can also fulfill special political functions. With the exception of the ceremonial celebrations in Florence, the archons of the other major cities expected to pay huge sponsorship fees in the festivals so that they could be remembered by the citizens and eventually win a majority in the elections. According to sources, although Florence's economic status declined in the 15th century, the city's expenditure on ceremonial ceremonies jumped to the top of the Italian peninsula. In this corrupt atmosphere of "competing luxury", money is used as speculative capital, and it is no wonder that Italy will eventually go into total decline.
bibliography
Wang Tingzhi: A History of the European Renaissance: Urban and Social Life, People's Publishing House, 2014.
Shuyu Luo, "Rituals and Social Effects of Migrating English Autonomous Cities in the Late Middle Ages", Lanzhou Academic Journal, No. 4, 2010.
(Author: Haoran Wenshi Porcelain Country Garbage Dump)
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