Random Things of The Medieval Feast Of Fools Was So Extreme Catholic Church Was Forced To Ban It (13 items)

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  (#4) The Catholic Church Banned The Party For Blasphemy

  According to the Catholic Church, the Feast of Fools was extravagant to the point of blasphemy. It's no surprise that a celebration of disorder didn't find favor with the church, especially when the parties often took place inside churches. But the church had a hard time stamping out the tradition, which was incredibly popular. 

  In 1445, the theologians at the University of Paris wrote a letter condemning the practice. They described the events in horrified terms:

  Priests and clerks may be seen wearing masks and monstrous visages at the hours of office... They dance in the choir dressed as women, panders or minstrels. They sing wanton songs. They eat black puddings... while the celebrant is saying mass. They play at dice... They run and leap through the church, without a blush at their own shame.

  After this condemnation, the Catholic Church officially banned the Feast of Fools in the 1400s. But the parties continued for at least another century. 
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  (#6) Medieval Christmas Involved A Lot Of Solemnity – People Needed To Cut Loose After

  In the medieval period, Christmas involved a lot more fasting than it does today. Medieval Christians spent the month before Christmas fasting in observance of Advent, which was supposed to help prepare for God's coming. And they didn't just mean the birth of baby Jesus – they also meant the coming apocalypse. All in all, it was a pretty serious time. On Christmas day, worshippers spent most of the day in church: three masses were said on Christmas.

  After all the serious fasting and rituals associated with Christmas, many medieval Christians wanted to cut loose with a massive party.
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  (#9) 'The Song Of The Ass' Was About A Donkey

  Even a seemingly holy song could easily devolve into chaos. At early celebrations of the Feast of Fools, the revelers sang a "song of the ass." It was about a donkey taking a long journey. In the song, the donkey crosses the river Jordan and visits Bethlehem. The story, sung in church during the week of Christmas, evokes the Biblical tale of Mary and Joseph traveling by donkey just before the birth of Jesus. 

  However, the song often got out of hand. In some cases, people led an actual donkey into the church, which was bound to cause problems. On another occasion, a rowdy person smacked a cleric with "an inflated and swollen hen's bladder" during the song.
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  (#1) People Hid Their Identities By Crossdressing And Covering Themselves With Animal Dung

  The concept of inversion was at the core of the Feast of Fools. The people at the bottom of the social hierarchy had a single day to act like the most powerful in society. For example, students hid their identity and parodied their social betters: clergy, teachers, and rulers. Sometimes, the students rubbed mud on their faces – or even animal dung – or simply wore a mask. Men dressed as women and women as men, to invert the traditional gender hierarchy. And everyone sang, danced, and drank.
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  (#3) The Church Tried To Ban Masks Entirely Since People Acted Crazier In Disguise

  Even though the Feast of Fools was a wild party with no rules, people still wanted to hide their identities. After all, they were throwing dice in church and singing obscene songs. So, many medieval partiers showed up for the Feast of Fools wearing masks. 

  The authorities knew that the masks only made people more wild, so they tried to ban masks. In 2017, Pope Innocent III complained about "masked shows" that took place in church during Christmas season. In Lille in 1398, the church declared that masks were banned at New Year's celebrations. Another church complained in 1404 that the clergy were wearing "masks in the shape of devils."
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  (#10) The Feast Of Fools Shows Up In Disney's 'The Hunchback Of Notre Dame'

  The medieval tradition of the Feast of Fools was so enduring that Victor Hugo included it in his 19th-century classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame. During the party, Quasimodo is crowned King of Fools, sticking with the theme of inverting the social order.

  In the Disney version, the Feast of Fools is renamed "Topsy Turvy Day." As the song declares, "It's the day for breaking rules, Come and join the feast of Fools!" And just like the medieval Feast of Fools, the Disney song celebrates turning life upside down and making every man a king and every king a clown. "It's the day the devil in us gets released, It's the day we mock the prig and shock the priest." 

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