When researching about the festivities that mark the Carnival, we usually come across the logic and the meaning instituted by the christian calendar. Under this context, carnival comprises a period of celebration that precedes the spiritual resignation that includes the period from Ash Wednesday until the Easter Sunday. However, when we observe the manifestations of other ancient civilizations, we can also notice the practice of carnivalesque celebrations.
In researching Eastern peoples, we can point to the temporary nullification of social conventions and other distinctions that organized their world. Between the Babylonians there was the organization of annual summer parties, known as satiates. As a whole, this festivity was guided by the complete inversion of social hierarchies. Over a period of five days, servants could incorporate the gestures and behaviors of their superiors..
Another instigating demonstration organized during Saceia involved the choice of some prisoner to take the place of royal authority
. In this short period, the lowly detainee could dress in the king's clothes, eat at his table and even marry the king's wives. After the experience of regalia and joy, the poor fellow was subjected to whipping and then killed by some cruel execution ritual. Tragically, the reversal of reality came to an end.In another type of manifestation, the Babylonians were in the habit of pointing out the limits of monarchical authority through a curious religious procedure. During the first days of each new year, a priest removed from the king all the emblems that indicated his power and exposed him to various physical aggressions.. Soon after, the king was taken to the feet of the god marduk to declare that he had not abused power. Finally, he was consecrated again and the normal order of things was restored.
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You assyrians they also held another celebration very close to some actions commonly observed in contemporary street carnival. In March, the members of this powerful civilization organized a party in tribute to the goddess Isis, deity of Egyptian origin responsible for the protection of navigators. Your participants used to use masks during a procession in which a car transported a vessel to be offered to the goddess.
At Ancient Rome, the calls Saturnalias they were parties in which the entire population was freed from the social distinctions that guided their daily life. For a week, the masters wore the hats of their subordinates and offered food to their servants. At the same time, a king was drawn to have all his wishes promptly granted. In this way, the renovating tradition that marks the carnival can impressively span the centuries.
After the dissemination of christianity and the consolidation of the Catholic hierarchy, the carnival parties suffered several episodes of persecution. According to the leaders of the Christian Church, reversals and fanciful situations affronted the world created by the Lord. However, even with their influence and power, the Church could not end to those festivities that are still alive in different cultures around the world.
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUSA, Rainer Gonçalves. "The Carnival in Antiquity"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/o-carnaval-na-antiguidade.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
