Carnival

Rituals and festivals played a crucial role in traditional European life. Rituals, such as charivari (“riding the stang”) allowed for the community to join together and have fun, teach lessons, and even make political statements. Festivals such as carnival, and that on midsummer night’s eve allowed for the community to relax, release their burdens, join together, learn from one another, and, to the dismay of some, also served as a medium of propagating vices. …

…to justify the Italians to, in a way, justify his own actions. Rituals and festivals, both in general, had their purposes in creating a community. Some rituals were intended to dignify, while others were to humiliate; some were used for political purposes while others were just for fun. Festivals were seen as a way to celebrate and vent the sorrows of everyday life through vices while others drew the community together through honesty and openness.