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Vendaval -> The Feast of Fools (5/7/2007 5:35:07 PM)
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In the interest of preserving and/or restoring the sense of humour around here, I present the Feast of Fools -
http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~kyrie/service.html
A Strange Church Feastday
" Celebrated anytime between Christmas and Epiphany (6th Jan), particularly on the 1st of Jan- the Feast of the Circumsion of Our Lord, the Feast of Fools had some very strange Church custome to go along with it....
- Priest and clargy wearing masks at Divine Office
- Clergy dancing in the sanctuary dressed as women and minstrels
- Clergy eating sausages at the altar while the celebrant is saying Mass
- Incense with vile incense made from filthy old shoe soles
- Singing the Chants of the day with screeches and nonsense syllables
- singing from upside down service books
- blowing ashes from the censer around the church
- wearing torn or inside-out vestments
- runnning and leaping shamelessly through the church
- During Mass, a donkey was brought into the church and led to the altar.
- During the Mass, the Introit, Kyrie, Gloria and Credo ended with donkey brays, and instead of the dismissal, the priest was directed to bray 3 times (ter hinhinnabit) with the congregation braying in response!
After Mass, the Clergy ran through the town.....
- in carts, making indecent gestures
- reciting scurrilous and lewd verses to the derision of all
- Pelting the people with excrement
- clanging kettles, saucepans and bells,
- Humorous plays and shows were put on by the people
At Vespers....
- During the Magnificat verse " And he hath put down the mighty...", an elected Boy-Bishop was put on the Bishop's throne, and dressed in full vestments.
- The Boy-Bishop was crowned with 3 buckets of water and a crown of leaves.
The Boy-Bishop/ Lord of Misrule/Abbot of Fools' job was to preside over the ribaldry. "
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