Games - Shrovetide Football

Sorry I've been out of it of late.  Lots going on in life.  Just happened to notice that today is Carnival and that I had a half-finished post of exemplary relevance sitting about, waiting to be polished up.  Hope you enjoy the madness.

The Fight Between Carnival and Lent (1559) Pieter Breughel the Elder

     Shrovetide football is another local game which has been enjoyed for quite some time (Wiki says 12thC).  These historical references mention a ball game being played during Carnival, on the outskirts of London, by schoolboys and apprentices alike.  The older generation would come out and cheer on their efforts.  The rules of these specific contests don't seem to be well documented, but appear to have been going on for quite some time. Many different localized ball games have developed as regional preferences, such as enjoying more or less mayhem, shaped the games.  Some consider Shrovetide Football to be the ancestor of all modern ball games.
     The Royal Shrovetide Football Match occurs annually in Ashbourne, England (first records around 1667).  Taking place on Shrove Tuesday (in cultured places, it's Fat Tuesday) and Ash Wednesday, the "rules" seem to be mostly, stay out of the churchyard and try not to get anyone killed.  The aim is to move the cork-filled leather ball to your side's goalpost (one of two widely spaced millstones now in the middle of the river Henmore, to increase the difficulty of scoring).   Play starts each day at 2PM, and if a goal is scored before 5PM another ball is released.  Otherwise play is over for the day.  There is no limit on the numbers of players and you may use any part of the body to propel the ball.  It is played in the village, across roads, and through fields (train tunnels are also apparently fair game). These days, they board up the downtown ahead of time to avoid excessive property damage.
    It really is amazing what level of madness was permitted to occur annually as generations of Christians missed the whole point of Lent.  Just as folks glut themselves on food after a fast, any religious deprivations tend to be closely followed (or in this case, preceded) by celebrations.  Games of various sorts are a natural part of these celebration (the text mentioning the earliest ball games also mentions cock fighting), and don't forget the special sweet or savory consumables that might be available to celebrants.  Festivals often mark Saints' Days and historically important rememberances.  
    For the writer, the rollicking madness of Shrovetide Football could serve as a thoroughly entertaining backdrop for whatever your characters may be up to, whether they be new in town or just looking to settle an old score amid the madness and good-natured destruction.  Just because the setting is Medieval, doesn't mean everyone has to be glum.  Let your villagers have a little rough entertainment.

The Fight Between 
Carnival  and Lent (1559), Pieter Breughel the Elder - See more at: http://www.danceshistoricalmiscellany.com/2013/11/this-murdering-play-violent-origins-of.html#sthash.N6HcVGmV.dpuf

Ashbourne 2015 - http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-derbyshire-31487823
Alnwick 2015 - http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/local-news/alnwick-shrovetide-football-match-to-honour-a-local-hero-1-7110025
"Royal"- http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/derby/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8494000/8494339.stm
FIFA - http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/history/the-game/Britain-home-of-football.html
Violence during - http://www.danceshistoricalmiscellany.com/2013/11/this-murdering-play-violent-origins-of.html