The Meaning of Festivals: A Typology
The Meaning of Festivals: A Typology
This chapter presents a typology of the diversity of ludic events, their origins, and evolution in late medieval and early modern Spain. There has long been an argument that Spanish festivals, celebratory cycles, and chivalrous activities, such as the tournament, did not originate in the peninsula but were most often imported from elsewhere. Festivities are, of course, as old as humanity itself. They are, in some ways, an aspect of that ludic drive that articulates the human need for play. At the individual, family, or community level, celebrations have played, and continue to play, a significant role in social relations, linking networks of individuals into temporary cohesive units. A birth, a coming of age, a wedding, a death, and all the high points of the life cycle call for some kind of ritual marking. Depending on wealth and social standing, these celebrations may be either exaggerated displays of one's lofty position or humble affairs.
Keywords: ludic events, Spanish festivals, celebratory cycles, chivalrous activities, tournament, social relations, life cycle, ritual making
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