Jesters are familiar to mankind since ancient times. The first mention of this profession was still in the stories of Pliny, when he visited the palace of King Ptolemy I. In the Middle Ages there was a real "comic boom". It was at this time, as historians say, that the clownish craft flourished and flourished.
Who is Gaer
The direct analogy and modern translation of some Old Russian words is not accessible to everyone today. For example, few people know who the gaer is. Let's look into the explanatory dictionaries.
Gaer is a person working on the street and laughing at people at fairs and festivities. Today such a word is forgotten and not used at all. But in the old days, it was a fairly popular profession. The ability to make people laugh with their absurd antics and jokes-jokes was inherited. The fathers taught the children to make people laugh, amuse them and earn their daily bread.
Gaer is a joker and joker who is designed to entertain and make people laugh. From ancient times gaer was called a street jester. He worked both in solitude and in an artistic troupe. For example, in France, gailers took an active part in creating comic shows and folk performances.
Translated from the language of Napoleon Bonaparte gaer is fun. In English or German, this word means "clown, buffoon."
Clown or clown
Many people think that a clown and a clown, therefore a gaer, are the same words that have a common meaning. But actually a clown is very different from a jester. Even the great Charlie Chaplin was always offended when he was called the gaer in the press. He at one time fell in love with France precisely because it was the first country where the "icon of the twentieth century comedy" was not called a gaiter, but was recognized as a comedy actor.
Who is Gaer really: a jester or a clown? Historians argue that geyers are closer to jesters, antlers, and jokers. In some languages, this word translates as "grimacing" and "showing faces." They always tried to joke inappropriately and even went to just attract attention.
Gathering and working at festive festivals or fairs, geyers often received "wages" with food. This was especially common in the Middle Ages. Centuries later, the guard began to receive some money for his antics. Clowns appeared much later. It was already a profession for which the people paid at the fairs, and the employer. Professional clowns are always offended if they are called jesters or gailers. However, according to the story, it was from the gaer that the clown came from, and from the clown - the modern clown.
A bit of history
Traditionally, the gaer was depicted in paintings in a funny cap, on which the bells merrily chinked. This outfit was used not only for the brightness of the costume, but also to attract viewers. In medieval England, there were Puritan mores, so the gaer and the jester did not at first take root here. The meaning of the word "gaer" was associated with a mentally retarded person, wandering around the street and asking for a loaf of bread for their antics.
However, not only the poor and the sick became jesters. A man could become a Gaer at will, and not out of need. Even in those days, talented people were born who were able to understand the intricacies of comedy, tragedy and give people their talent with dignity.
From clown to clowns
Already in the time of Shakespeare, the gaer was not just a jester, amusing people. In the plays of the author, he often plays a more thoughtful, serious, lyrical role. The clown is not just grimacing, but playing music, juggling and reciting poems.
Gaers also worked in Russian boyar houses. They amused the guests, mixed them with jokes. At the same time, a professional gaer, who was revered in the profession and made good money, no longer built faces in order to amuse the public. An experienced jester at that time was a fairly educated person: he knew poetry, read plays, could artistically tell a joke, etc.