FOURTH DAY of CHRISTMAS:
The Feast of Fools
Chaos reigns today. It’s the Feast of Fools, a direct descendant of the Roman Saturnalia that many say inspires our Christmas traditions. For both the Saturnalia and this Fourth Day of Christmas, the normal order of things is ceremoniously reversed. And it is with a day like this that we see why our ancestors for the most part ceased all labor during the Christmas season. Who could possibly get any work done when chaos ensues? Why even bother?
In times more ancient, some lucky (and hopefully brave) soul would be elected Lord of Misrule for the Feast of Fools and would lord over the day’s revels. The election might come through the finding of a coin baked into a pudding. The Lord of Misrule was in charge of everything for the day, and much like a jester at court, could say and do what he or she wished without fear of repercussion, often revealing truths that the rest of the company would not dare speak. This, done under the guise of humor to make things more palatable… and hopefully to effect some positive change once the Feast of Fools was past. While the Feast of Fools and the Lord of Misrule are mostly things of the past, one can see the usefulness of these things. One might say that we could use a healthy dose of this right now.
All of this chaos is the result of the old year dying. It is falling apart at the seams. But the old year must die for the new year to be born. As the year goes, so have gone other things this time of year: the sun must die at the solstice to rise again, the son born at Christmas must die to rise again at Easter. The story is an ancient one, told over and over again, in many guises. The story never grows old, and it is the story even of our Convivio Book of Days: it is the wheel of the year, turning always, renewing always, and yet the story is the same. It is, to me, both comforting and perplexing.
Image: “Folly Governeth the World” by Alfred Henry Forrester. It is the frontispiece to The Marvellous Adventures and Rare Conceits of Master Tyll Owlglass by Kenneth R.H. Mackenzie, 1860. Some things never change.
In Lafayette, Louisiana, reading your Christmas Days to my family, they are charmed and intrigued with your words ~~ leading to good discussion ~~ especially with the teens who are appreciating the thoughts ~~ that are new to them.
Continue and I will continue to share ~~
Anne
Thank you, Anne. Your words are good for a writer to read! I’d love to be there to join the conversation. Christmastide greetings to you and your family. ~ John