Drinkers Masses, to include Gamblers Masses (Latin: ''Missa Potatorum, Officium Lusorum''), was a

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

of medieval Latin poetry which parodied the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Latin Mass in order to make fun of drinking and gambling monks and clerics. These masses were written between about 1100 and 1700 by

clerici vagantes ''Clerici vagantes'' or ''vagabundi'' (singular ''clericus vagans'' or ''vagabundus'') is a medieval Latin term meaning "wandering clergy" applied in early canon law to those clergy who led a wandering life either because they had no benefice or ...

(''wandering clerics''), with the first example being the gamblers mass (''officium lusorum''), found in the ''

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreverent ...

''. The genre is somewhat related to other medieval ecclesiastic parody, such as the

Feast of Fools Feast of Fools The Feast of Fools or Festival of Fools (Latin: ''festum fatuorum, festum stultorum'') was a feast day on January 1 celebrated by the clergy in Europe during the Middle Ages, initially in Southern France, but later more widely. Du ...

and the

Feast of the Ass The Feast of the Ass ( la, Festum Asinorum, asinaria festa; french: Fête de l'âne) is a medieval, Christianity, Christian festival, feast observed on 14 January, celebrating the Flight into Egypt. It was originally celebrated primarily in France ...

Description

These parody masses generally follow line for line the words of the Latin Mass, as well as quotations from the

Latin Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels us ...

. They are carefully reworded to create a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

of the Mass, with themes such as

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...

, the god of wine, and Decius, the god of dice (

Decius Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius ( 201 ADJune 251 AD), sometimes translated as Trajan Decius or Decius, was the emperor of the Roman Empire from 249 to 251. A distinguished politician during the reign of Philip the Arab, Decius was procla ...

was also the name of a Roman emperor), replacing the "

Dominus Dominus or domini may refer to: * Dominus (title), a title of sovereignty, clergy and other uses Art, entertainment, and media * Dominus (band), a Danish death metal band * Dominus (DC Comics), an alien character in DC Comics * Dominus (Mar ...

" and "

Deus ''Deus'' (, ) is the Latin word for "god" or "deity". Latin ''deus'' and ''dīvus'' ("divine") are in turn descended from Proto-Indo-European *'' deiwos'', "celestial" or "shining", from the same root as '' *Dyēus'', the reconstructed chief g ...

" (Lord and God) of the Mass. There is much imagery of dice being used in

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

, and of drinking cups, wine, and taverns, ending with losing all of one's possessions, including clothes, through drinking and gambling.

References

* * {{Wikisourcelang, la, Missa Potatorum

External links

Collection of medieval drinkers and gamblers masses

Description

References

External links

See also