Episode 77: Carnival and Lent

Ask a Medievalist

Summary

Here comes the parade, want some beads?

Okay, so carnival is a prelude to Lent, which is an extremely solemn time in Catholic tradition. So why is it the way that it is in so many places? Let’s talk about it.

Notes

1/ It’s late, but it’s up before the end of Lent. lol sob

2/ carnem levare: Latin for putting away (not eating) meat.

3/ The dialog is:

Aziraphale: Did you ever meet him?

Crowley: Yes…seemed a very bright young man. I showed him all the kingdoms of the world.

Aziraphale: Why?

Crowley: He’s a carpenter from Galilee. His travel opportunities are limited.

(From s1e03)

4/ https://www.comicmix.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/pancakes4.jpg pancakes

5/ John Bossy, Christianity in the West: 1400–1700.

6/ Bakhtin, Rabelais and His World.

7/ By “the countries [UK and the Netherlands] have some connections,” Em means that during the Glorious Revolution, William III (of Orange) and Mary II were invited to rule England, because they’d run out of endogenous rulers owing to having kicked James II/VI out. (They were invited because Mary was James’s eldest surviving child, and they reigned as co-monarchs, which honestly seems like a very rational move to me.)

8/ Peter Bruegel the Elder: The Fight between Carnival and Lent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fight_Between_Carnival_and_Lent

Jan Miense Molenaer (1610–1668): The Battle between Carnival and Lent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Miense_Molenaer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Between_Carnival_and_Lent

Molenaer shared his studio with his wife, Judith Leyster, who was also an awesome painter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Leyster

Hieronymus Bosch: Ship of Fools
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Fools_(painting)

The poem mentioned was written is by Jacop (Jacob) van Oestvoren who wrote “De Blauwe Schuit” (“The Blue Boat”) in 1413

9/ Joseph Roach, Cities of the Dead: Circum-Atlantic Performance