Festivals in Spanish society
Festivals in Spanish society
According to Ruiz (2017), Catholic monarchs ruled Spain between the late medieval and the early modern period. In 1492, the country witnessed landmark changes, including the capture of Granada, eviction of the Jews, and encounter between the Old world and the New World, that shaped the country’s history. The Spanish society witnessed a lot of changes in all spheres of life. Although there were many transformations, the evolution of festivals from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period, including the scripting, says a lot about their hegemonic purpose and the role of power.
Ruiz (2017) describes that the festivals in Spain were held in specific ways in order to demonstrate power and how social binding had to occur. In the example of Doña Blanca wedding to Infante Henry, Ruiz (2017) explains how society used different practices to pass crucial messages. The Infanta was received with a comprehensive number of festivities, aimed at displaying the power of the family, while also authenticating to the population the order that exists in the town. Ruiz explains that in these kinds of festivals, especially in a region faced with antagonisms, both the parties came together for the enjoyment and the rewards by the royals for the performance.
In the fifteenth century, the monarch and his family had all the celebration witnessed by the public. The major festivals were organized by those in power and it was held in the main square of the city. An example of the event was that of Dona Blanca, which was held within the walls of the city. The event was used to bind the people and show the power that the host had. In his view, Ruiz says that the event had to include members from all social classes and religious affiliation, with the exception of the Jews and the Muslims. The festivals was an event organized by the people in power or their agents with minimal involvement of the members of the society. Ruiz suggest that most members of the society were passive members. Members of the public had to drink and shout either about their approval or disapproval and join in rebelling when the need arises.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the festivals had a major evolution. The century witnessed most of the monarch and his family withdrawing from the public eye. The monarch preferred to isolate themselves, such as in the case of Philip II. One of the reasons for the new order was that they had a new believe about power and royalty that made them refrain from the public eye. Ruiz (2017) elaborates saying that in 1638, the difference between the powerful and weak was witnessed in the celebration of Carnival, which combined the ‘Private’ masque held in Buena Retiro and Public.
The different festivities were scripted by different kind of activities (Ruiz, 2017). In the mid fourteenth century, the royal weddings were scripted in a strict order. It followed the order where nobility came first, then those below them follow before the celebration is taken to the mighty. The ones in the lower social circles were brought together in the performances to bind them. The rewards enjoyed during the festivals were, drinking, murmurs, fighting of bulls, exciting joust, and excess free food provided.
The festivals for other purposes, such as a visit by a prince, had a different scripting. Ruiz explains the scripting of the visit of King Harry IV. First, the King was met by the town constables on his way to the city, accompanied by the governor. The king had to ride on a white horse with a big banner on his hand and a large number of knights accompanying him for two miles away from the city gates before he is met by motley group in between the rural and the urban areas. The social transformation that went beyond the preferences and dislikes of individual monarchs and captured their inflated sense of royalty was witnessed because of the changes in festivities. The knights would them follow, many donning fake beards and others dressed like Moorish women, playing bells and tambourines and four thousand children riding wicker horses (Ruiz, 2017).
The scripting of festivals changed in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. At this time, the King and the elite were not to participate in the activities and there was no contact between them and the lower social class people. The celebration changed and became one that was aimed at appeasing and honoring the royal family (Ruiz, 2017). The changes in the social being of the people changed the notion of power. It showed that the Kings had become more jealous of their subjects and had turned their ruling to that of an authoritative system. The monarch no longer celebrated with members of the public as did their predecessors. The governing changed and became more centralized because of the changes in the social behavior. The gaps between the people who were in power and the popular grew wide (Ruiz, 2017).
In conclusion, the changes in the festivities in Spain also led to the changes in the way the rulers of the time viewed and regarded power. The evolution of festivals from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period, including the scripting, say a lot about their hegemonic purposes and the nature of power changes during the time. As time passed, festivities moved from being public affairs to being private events organized to elevate the monarch and reaffirm the role of power. The changes in how the Spanish society, in many ways, defined social classes. They drew leaders away from people, and they made people to organize festivals on the basis of their social standings.
References
Ruiz, T. F. (2017). Spanish Society, 1348-1700. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge.