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About Jester

The most famous jester is perhaps the Joker from Batman. We all know his face and the evilness behind it, but Jesters are older than a Batman comic. In fact the first jester, joker, fool or buffoon was in the middle ages. Jesters were around the courts dressed in bright colors in a motley pattern to entertain the Kings and other high class individuals. History actually tells us that the jester was part of prehistoric tribal society as well. Pliny the Elder was the first to mention a royal jester. Jesters were supposed to be symbolic of the kings. They tended to make fun and be childlike in their jokes. It is also thought that those mentally handicapped were given jobs to behave like fools in order to have some sort of employment. The court jester was able to speak of controversial issues because they were considered a fool, but of course even they had to watch out as they were not completely safe from punishment.

Dressing up as Jester

Most jester costumes that we see today are still in the brightly colored motley pattern. They often have the hats with bells that is called a cockscomb. The hat usually has three to four points with a bell at the end. A traditional hat has three points as it was symbolizing the ears and tail of a donkey. Jesters also had mock scepters so adding a scepter to your costume can give you a more authentic costume. There are children and adult sizes of the jester costume. You may also find the perfect costume for those on a budget. Making your own costume can be relatively easy as long as you find a pattern. To complete the costume you would need the pointy shoes that curl up at the toes. Most of the jester costumes have leggings with a tunic. The tunic is usually bushy around the body rather than tight fitting. Joker and Batman would make two additional costumes for your jester theme. Catwoman is a great accompaniment if you are taking a page from the comics.

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