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Word from Grace Street: Lord of Misrule
Posted by Kimberly Allen
In today's Word (and second word) from Grace Street, Wallace+ writes about the Lord of Misrule, "appointed to preside over festivities marking the end of Christmastide" for centuries.
"On Twelfth Night, the world is turned upside down, the rules are suspended. In Shakespeare, a woman dresses as a man, and a servant acts as nobleman. In many cathedrals, a boy chorister is appointed bishop for a time, taking the bishop's seat as presider, wearing his miter and carrying his crosier.
Eventually the Church decided that the festivities had gotten out of hand and thus the custom was abolished. And yet perhaps we, the Church, were onto something way back then. After all, the one we call the King of Kings was born in a stable, in a little town, on the edge of the Roman Empire, with an audience of animals, shepherds, and foreigners.
"What are the rules that he, the original Lord of Misrule, might suspend in our lives? What are the things in my life and in yours that he would turn upside down?"
Indeed, suspending the rules a bit early, today Wallace+ wrote about Twelfth Night on the Fifth Night!
Click here to read the complete original message.
Click here for the follow-up note (with apologies for any confusion!)
Pictured: Mervyn Clitheroe's Twelfth Night party, by "Phiz" (c 1840)
Tags: christmas, word from grace street
