ocr popular culture and witch craze

Popular culture 

Popular culture: everyday experience of people within a society expressed through cultural experiences. Its locational, gendered, generational and everchanging. 

Geographical 

Southern Europe culture centres around processions and parades, restrict women’s freedom. Differences between economically advanced Western Europe and rural/urban cultures.

Elite 

Composed of nobles in central/local government, traditional rights and educated beliefs. Different lifestyles (not united). Constantly evolving- range of cultures due to a class divide. 

Middling 

Distinct cultural traits, often merchants, professional men, substantial farmers, can’t be labelled “elite” or “popular”. Might be equally distant from poor and rich cultures. 

Urban 

Many large, rich European cities grew. Above average motility and prone to epidemic. People moved there to improve socially and economically. Large cities had high literacy levels and multiplicity of cultures and social interactions. Upper end: rich merchants, bankers, skilled professionals. Lower end: labourers. More diverse due to a population growth and employment. 

Common 

9/10 Europeans still lived and worked in the countryside, now legally free. Traditional village community remained but lack of evidence of their culture as most couldn’t read/write, usually only the priests as printing was unpopular meaning less access to books (most sources from elite’s view). Huge gender differences. 

Gender 

Shaped almost every sphere of life. Women considered inferior, intellectual opinion named them as emotional and vulnerable. Women were excluded from education, politics and jobs, different roles within marriage. Men: went to taverns to exchange news and gamble. Women: gathered at wells and gossiped, forming public opinion. 

Hardship 

No fundamental industrial changes. Most Europeans stayed hard, relying on the harvest. Faced many epidemics which could kill 1/3 of the city’s population. Hazards of work and unbalanced diet impacted their lives. Childbirth was perilous for all with high levels of infant mortality. 

Pageants and Festival of Misrule: 

Festivals took many different forms throughout Europe. There were 17 annual festivals which generally happened in the village/town centre as a pageant or procession with costumes representing heroes. Rulers and lords staged their own festivals usually consisting of lavish banquets, musical competitions, and presentations funded by guilds. Carnival was an important part of popular culture in Europe, usually beginning in January/February. People of all levels of society celebrated, with carnival usually mocking rules and order. They acted as a safety valve and a break from the monotonous life as villages were able to express resentment/ frustration without attacking hierarchy.

Festival of Misrule was popular across all of Europe and was held in December or Early January. It was often organised by young clergy and named someone as Lord of Misrule by election, with them commanding people during the festival- encouraged drinking, dancing, and singing. Participants mocked priests’ behaviour by wearing vestments backwards drinking in church and dancing on church grounds. This led church leaders to attempt to outlaw the celebration. It died out in the early 17^th century. 

Significance of ritual

People were held together by religion with the church calendar providing a focal point for morality and a basis for daily and annual routine. Ceremonies…