These figures, Jesters, are dressed in the outfits that are worn in the village I was staying in last week. The statue caught my attention the first time I went out shopping the day after I arrived. Food popping up again! The Spelt bread was good and the prize-winning bakery obviously attractive, from the pavement. But what do these statues point to?
The tradition of Fastnacht. A festival/knees-up which marks the beginning of Lent and is particular to an area of Germany known as the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg. Here a link
https://alemannicfastnacht.travellerspoint.com where you can read all about the goings-on during this carnival to end all carnivals. The costumes and masks are historic, each village having a well-established and unique expression.
The Jester has a special place in the scheme of things. A chance to speak truth to power, in a fun way.
Being a jester involves making fun of authorities, and the chance to speak openly and tell unpleasant truths. Under the mask the jester won’t be recognized and can say what he likes to say. (A fellow club sister of mine used to be a former minister in the government of Baden-Württemberg. She told me how she once visited the carnival in Rottweil, where a masked jester approached her and told her loads of details about life and work in her ministry, so he surely must have been an employee, but she did not recognize him.)
From the above mentioned site.
Now thinking of the discipline involved with Lent in the Christian tradition. Fasting is not outside of our practice in Buddhism. A choice indeed and one I find helpful to interrupt the habit of eating more sugar than is good. I’d say sometimes my sugar eating verges on addictive behaviour. That’s finding it hard to stop at just one biscuit.