than the Carnival celebrations. All these festival had one thing in common: they offered the people an escape from theireveryday life and a way to express themselves. It offered the people a way to vent theirresentments and some form of entertainment. Festivals were an escape from theirstruggle to earn a living. They were something to look forward to and were a celebrationof the community and a display of its ability to put on a good show. It is said that themocking of outsiders (the neighbouring village or Jews) and animals might be seen as adramatic expression of community solidarity.Some rituals might be seen as a form of social control, in a sense that it was a means fora community to express their discontent with certain members of the community(charivari). The ritual of public punishment can be seen in this light, as it was used todeter people from committing crimes.Professor Max Gluckman used the African popular culture to explain the social functionof the ritual of reversal of roles as it happened during rituals as Carnival. Similar ritualsstill occur in certain regions in Africa. Gluckman explains this ritual as an emphasis ofcertain rules and taboos through lifting them for a certain period of time. The apparentprotests against the social order were intended to preserve and even to strengthen theestablished order. As a counter example Gluckman states that: "...in regions where thesocial order is seriously questioned, 'rites of protest' do not occur."Riots and rebellions frequently took place during major festivals. Rebels and riotersemployed rituals and symbols to legitimise their actions. Inhibitions against expressinghostility towards the authorities or individuals were weakened by the excitement of thefestival and the consumption of large quantities of alcohol. If those factors werecombined with discontent over a bad harvest, tax increases or other calamities, thissituation could get out of control. It could prove a good op...
