Festical and Rituals Dbq Essay Example

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In the painting Battle Between Carnival and Lent, author Pitter Brushed demonstrates the many unusual behaviors experienced during festivals. A man wearing a huge pie on his head riding on a huge wine barrel has a stick with a pig's head on It as a weapon to face off against a nun. (Doc 3) Brushed painted Battle Between carnival and Lent to warn the people that their love of celebrating was overwhelming their religious observance of Lent, as demonstrated by the man facing off against a nun. The unmannerly manners of the carnival are explained by John

Taylor, an English writer. He describes the climax of the carnival, Shrove Tuesday, as a destructive and chaotic scene, with youths armed with weapons destroying public theaters, houses, thousands of windows, and land. (Doc 4) Henry Bourne delineates the celebration of the midsummer night's eve In the Sicily Islands as a festival of fun, honesty, and openness. Servants and masters converse freely among each other and they discuss each other's faults without taking any offense. The maidens dress like the men and the men dress like the maidens and they act as if nothing is wrong.

Doc 6) These experiences described by Russo, Brushed, Taylor, and Bourne demonstrate the uncommon and inappropriate behaviors the festivals and rituals brought. On the other hand, many people favored festivals and rituals. A Dominican monk from leaders of the city all gathered in the center of the city to represent their fathers as the leaders of the cities. He describes the magnificence of the way the son distinguished their fathers as they walked throughout the city streets and the

excitement the people, and obviously himself, had.

The sons had put on their fathers' clothes and had learned all their fathers' gestures, "copying each and every one of their actions and habits in an admirable way. " (Doc 1) R. Lasses, a French traveler commenting on Italian Carnival customs, believed that the festival activity of the Italians is a way to vent, and thus is in favor of the Italians' Carnival customs. (Doc 5) Lasses' report of the Carnival celebrations in Italy is probably accurate because as an outside observer, he is more objective and is not bias towards the Italian customs.

Carlo and Lasses are examples of people who were in favor of festivals and rituals. In addition, many people used festivals and cities as a meaner to control improper behavior. In a letter written to her friend Mary Hewitt, Elizabeth Glasses, an English author, explains the customs of the city of Cheshire. When a woman beats, scolds, or abuses the opposite sex, then that woman is forced to "ride the satang. " She is forced to ride on an old, broken down horse with her head facing the tail as a crowd mocks her with the clamor of frying pans.

However, the woman does not redress and the immunity does not proceed to any more disorderly conduct after she has "ridden the satang. " (Doc. 8) Since Mrs.. Glasses is a married woman and "riding the satang" is more common for married women, you would think she would be against it. But in fact, it is the opposite because she points out that the ritual is never too disorderly and the women never

redresses. Therefore, she probably thinks charier actually gives women more power because they can continue doing what they want as they never redress after riding the satang.

In the satang song from Lancashire, a man is eating his wife and the wife in return "takes him to the out-house," and if that doesn't change him, then she "takes his skin to the tanners. " (Doc 9) A Russian official reported that if you pick berries from the village of Nonvoter Province, Russia, communal berry patch before the right time, the police would force you to hang the basket of berries around your neck and walk around the village while the community looks out and mocks you with shouts, laughter, songs, and dancing. (Doc 10) The incidents explained in Mrs..

Galley's letter to Mary Hewitt, the satang song, and the port by the Russian official suggests ways that rituals were used to control improper behavior. In conclusion, Europeans had many different perspectives on the festivals and rituals. Rituals were mainly used to humiliate or unify a community, while festivals were a time of fun and relaxation. People thought that the rituals and festivals brought about inappropriate or uncommon behavior, while others thought that they were used to control improper behavior and favored them. Whatever the case, it is evident that festivals and rituals played an important role in European life.