Singing, playing games, eating, praying together: that's usually what a party is made of. But you have to think carefully about how to do these things. Depending on the circumstances, the people, and the space, the approach will shift from one celebration to the next—you figure it out as you plan.
This article doesn't lay down rules for throwing a party. Instead, it describes how one idea came to life and how we turned it into a rather complex celebration.
We hope this account will suggest a way of thinking about and carrying out a party.
Obviously, this particular celebration took place in a community with special manual skills. A party can also be much simpler and work beautifully. What really matters—and here's an example of it—is the method.
«The day of our gathering is approaching. We sit down to decide what to do, but as always, we come up empty. We've been throwing parties for a while now, and the songs, games, snacks, prayers, or Mass are starting to look like copies of each other. Suggestions begin to come, but none of them stick. Someone, getting a bit bored, starts rocking back and forth in his chair. Another fidgets with a piece of paper. A third is showing photos of a vacation to the person next to him. Yet another is opening a bag of candies he brought. Two others are watching the scene and commenting:
— Look at Marcello rocking in that chair—he looks like a grand lord!
— And look at Luigi, how carefully he's holding that tray of sweets. He looks like a butler at a nobleman's table...
— And those two looking at the photos, whispering to each other—they could be a lady confiding in her maid.
— What if that's an idea for the party?
— What idea?
— We could build the whole thing around a medieval knight, a lady, a maid, a servant. You and I could be a squire and a jester... Wait, hold on everyone, listen for a moment—we're getting an idea for a party that everyone can take part in...
— But not everyone can do the games. We have people who don't speak and others who can't walk. Someone would have to stay close to them...
— We'll find a way to include everyone!
— Let's set everything in the Middle Ages. Some warring families decide to end the fighting by organizing a tournament between knights and contests for everyone. In short: a celebration of peace.
— Let's divide everyone into groups of seven—different noble houses.
— Now for the costumes. We'll start with the knight: we'll need a helmet, a shield, a sword... maybe even armor, boots...
— For the lady, a long dress, a veil... a necklace... a hat.
— And the maid gets a dress, a veil, a hat too...
— The squire gets a hat, the family crest, a belt.
— For the jester: a hat, a tunic, pants, a musical instrument.
— The provisioner will have a ladle, an apron, a cloth.
— The peasant needs a sack, a tool, a hat, a scarf around his neck.
— What will these characters do?
A good party should first and foremost be fun for everyone—without exception—and allow each person to express themselves according to their abilities. For it to work well, you have to pay attention to making sure that the different elements fit the world you're trying to create. So if you're talking about a medieval party, it matters that the background music isn't modern, and neither are the dances, games, or anything else.
— The families were at war: how do we show that conflict?
— It could happen as people get dressed. In the main room, we could pile up lots of materials—one pile with what the knights need, another with fabric and cardboard for the ladies and maids, and so on for each character. On each pile, there will be a "battle" to seize the materials needed for that costume. When the war is over, everyone gets to work making the different costumes.
— Keep in mind that this party could last four or five hours and include a meal.
— Once all the characters are ready, the provisioners will set up tables arranged around the room, spaced so each family has their own.
— Meanwhile, each family will choose a name and make an entrance with their banner.
— After the introductions, everyone takes their seat. The provisioners serve with a certain elegance, first the lady and knight, then everyone else. They'll bring the plates in held high to give the scene some style. (All the food will be prepared before the party starts—cold food works best...)
— After the meal, the tournament begins in the center of the room or outside:
- Ladies and maids (in pairs) will weave strips of fabric into colorful scarves to give to the knight as a good-luck charm. The pairs compete while the others sit and cheer.
- Each knight (one at a time) gets on the horse, rides around the room, then strikes the shield of the "Saracen."
- The jesters (one at a time) tell a joke or do a little game to entertain the guests.
- The squires (one at a time) try to hit a target with a bow and arrow (three shots each).
Then come the dances, moving to the music: the ladies and knights can form an arch with their arms and, circling around, can do various steps and spins however they like. The music is harpsichord and strings.
During the dancing, a figure dressed in white enters and hands each peasant an invitation to a different celebration. This moment should unfold slowly and gently. The figure stops before each peasant, takes his hand, and gives him the invitation. The card might say "I invite you to my party!" (or something like it). When all the invitations have been given, the figure leaves, gesturing for all the peasants to follow. They stop dancing and go with him silently, without saying anything to the others. After a moment, they come back to invite everyone to the other celebration that's been prepared.
One by one, everyone stops dancing and follows them to the side room or nearby chapel.
Before going in, the peasants invite the knights, ladies, and others to take off their costumes—a symbol of leaving material things behind.
In the chapel, in silence, we project slides onto a screen or wall: images of medieval castle and palace interiors, then forests, flowers, springs, birds, animals, sunsets, dawns, fires, people, children. We try to end with a slide of a small child whose face seems to be asking for something.
For each slide, we leave time for silent prayer, and at the end, the person who led the prayer—ideally a priest or religious—speaks briefly about the difference between a material celebration and a spiritual one. The closing thought for reflection comes from the image of the child: Did we manage to enter into the true celebration, the meeting with God? Or did we stop at the material party?
We also mention that this celebration was only possible because the humblest among us—the peasants, who had no real place in the material feast—were able to pass on to us the invitation that had been given to them.
— What do you think? Could a party like this work?
— It's a bit labor-intensive to prepare, sure... but not impossible.
— So how do we start?
— Let's make a list of what we need. (See "Materials" for the party and prayer)
— We'll sketch out some ideas to show people how they might make the costumes, and then everyone can adapt them however they like. (See the photo gallery)
— Finally, let's list and sketch what's needed for the various games—things we'll have to make before the party starts. (See "Before the Party")
— Let's divide up the work and try to get others involved in the organizing. We already have some materials; we just need to scrounge for the rest. If we spend a few hours here and there, we can pull it off.
Materials used for the party
Here's what we used for the medieval celebration:
For the prayer
Before the party we need to prepare
- by Mario Collino, 1988