Dude- what's your Krewe? Mardi Gras Continued...

[HistoryMamaX3]

The understanding of Mardi Gras can be such a lesson in history... and you know me, gotta love a good history lesson! No, don't run away yet- I'll make it interesting, I promise.

When we think of Mardi Gras, we think of parades, parties, strange festivities and coronations. Outwardly, we see lots of "sponsors" for Mardi Gras- known as Krewes. These Krewes focus their energies on allowing us to have a great time.

Historically, the word is rather new. But the origins are far from it. During the middle ages, when Mardi Gras began taking its shape as the holiday we know it today, the Anglo-Saxon world was ruled by feudalism. In a nutshell- regular people were ruled by Lords and in turn the Lords were ruled by a King.

Lords ruled over areas of land and the people that lived on it. Those outside the city walls were farmers and raised food for those that lived within the city walls. People that lived in the city relied upon the farmers, but certainly did their fair share of the work. They were blacksmiths, potters, bakers, tanners and so forth.

These groups were most often family run- boys grew up to do the job their fathers did. The best way for a boy (yes, a boy. Remember this was the middle ages.) to learn the trade was to work with his father, but we all know how hard it can be to learn from out parents. Even in the middle ages, parents knew about stubborn children. These children could be shipped off to other craftsmen to apprentice (study) their work.

In order to support each others families- the different groups (ie blacksmiths, bakers, tanners, etc.) created "guilds." These were associations, precursor to our own Unions, that worked together to solidify their work and trade secrets. These guild connections and associations were so important that they became the very definition of your family. This influence can still be seen today when looking at a list of names. Mark the Tanner would eventually evolve to the name, Mark Tanner. Same as Charles the Smith (blacksmith) and Norman the Baker, dropping the "the" and being known as Charles Smith and Norman Baker. No need to ask what it is your family did, you've already given it away!

Guilds were very tight knit and family oriented. The key to their success was their work- and they were not willing to share this success with others. Again, middle ages did not come with anti-monopoly laws and fair trade agreements. Your success depended upon the failure of your rivals and your need with in the community.

Put all of this personal importance and aggressive competitiveness and you could have a slew of trouble. However, this energy was easily diverted by means of Guild v Guild competition.

Festivities were organized around these competitions. Fighting, of any sort, was a favorite. Sword fights, boxing, wrestling... you name it! Of course, there were other, friendly competitions- but who really cares about them?

Since there was no TV, Internet or- well, much of we consider entertainment today, there was a lot of time to spend preparing and practicing for these competitions. Guilds would have chosen symbols and colors associated with them- costumes and flags would be lavished with these colors and symbols... sometimes giving the competitions the nickname- clash or war of the colors!

Mardi Gras was no exception. The guilds would compete in great festivities and throw grand celebrations in the name of religion. They would take turns hosting parades, masquerades and feasts.

Though today, money buys you admission to Krewe membership... the ideals are still alive and well. Our Union Organisations have stemmed from this history- some, such as The Writers Guild of America, still carry the name. Maybe, they'd have less time to cause trouble if we made them focus their attentions on pageantry... Just a thought. lol

*Note*  Guilds are common historically throughout the world. I just make mention of the Anglo-Saxon middle ages, because the theme to all of this is Mardi Gras- and while it has some very Pagan roots (still mostly concerning Anglo-Saxon peoples)- this does primarily concern this period in history.*

To be continued: Tomorrow's topic- The Wondrous Masquerade!

[cleanaturalady]

Feb. 23, 2009 at 7:34 AM

Thanks for the lesson.;)