Essay on Festivals In Europe

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Festivals In Europe

Functions of festivals in Early Modern Europe
Essay written by
'What were the functions of popular festivals, etc. in Early Modern Europe? And why
did the authorities, civil and ecclesiastical seek 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 everyday life. In those days
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
individual occasion and weren't 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 community 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 least 17 festivals
annually, not counting family occasions and saints' days. Some festivals, such as
Carnival, lasted several days or sometimes even several weeks. In the Netherlands
Carnival started every year at the 11th of November (St. Martin) and culminated in a big
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 peopl

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