Feast of Fools

The Feast of Fools, the fifth day of Christmas, (Dec 29), is a day when the normal order of things was ceremonially reversed, has been neglected for a long while – unfortunately, as it could well serve in our own times as a safe way of letting off steam. Essentially, it allowed people who were restricted from even the most casual of pleasure by the Church, to act in an abandoned way. It was also a time of festivity that was both part of, and sometimes even superseded, Christmas.

So, why not celebrate the Feast of Fools by having your own party where things get reversed, where your guests are invited to act as foolish as they can? Here are some ideas:

• Invite your guests to wear silly clothes
• Provide a box of silly or outrageous accessories – hats, shoes, wigs, gloves… use your imagination
• Have everyone paint their faces, or fingernails in wild colors (men as well as women)
• Organize a food fight or a pie throwing contest.
• Provide helium balloons so every one can talk funny.

For a great party game ask your guests to each write down a forfeit – an action that involves something very silly such as shaving with real cream, singing the words of one song to the tune of another, juggling with oranges – whatever they like. Then each guest should pull out a forfeit from the hat and do their best to obey the instruction.

If you are alone, you can still act the fool. Here are some suggestions:

• Make goofy faces at yourself in the mirror
• Wear your own clothes inside out and backwards
• Make a video or other recording of yourself laughing hysterically (fake it until you make it).

Above all, let this be a day of joyful fun and blissful games…

From: The Winter Solstice