Boys rule!: Purim and the holy innocents in early modern Worms

Abstract

AbstractThe role of boys and young men in premodern societies was both precarious and promising. Being in a liminal space between childhood and adulthood, they needed to practice their future roles in society. This article discusses Jewish and Christian annual celebrations involving groups of boys and young men in late medieval and early modern Worms that show similar features and an effort across different religious groups to provide a space for them. Jewish youth took leading roles in the liturgy and in festivities outside the synagogue on and after Shabbat ha‐baḥurim (the boys’ Sabbath), observed on the first Sabbath after Purim. Cathedral choristers and other Christian schoolboys in Worms, led by boy kings and boy bishops, celebrated in connection with the Feast of the Holy Innocents. These festivities were structured similarly in both communities and consisted of the selection of leaders, processions, liturgical inversions, and festive meals. With these celebrations, both communities offered an occasion for young men to practice masculine behaviors and internalize masculine norms.