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| Laugh it up, baby! |
Hello, barefoot friends! I had previously mentioned my love of European medieval Renfaires, and the hilarious fact that they lock "unsuspecting" people into "oldie-tyme" stockades, pull off their shoes & socks (once they're locked in & immobilized), and tickle their bare feet into hysterical laughter, much to the the silliness-loving delight of any crowds that assemble to watch the spectacle! So, let's now expand on that great, and deliciously-addicting, topic.. :)
If you've never heard of a "Renfaire", it's a festival whose theme is based on the medieval times, or The King Arthur period. Everyone's in period costumes, and they go around in character, speaking in medieval dialect and phrases. Many demonstrations of medieval behavior occur, including jousting, minstrel entertainment, poetry & literature, arts & crafts, cooking & dining, and lastly, public justice displays (done in a fun, comedic fashion, not brutally, as it was done back then). And this is where American & European Renfaires differ SO greatly! I've seen wooden stockades at American Renfaires, but they are all the type where you just lean into the clunky contraption with your head and arms sticking through, but you're still actually standing while locked in, being ridiculed by your "lawful accuser"..
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Beautiful girl,
beautiful bare feet,
BEAUTIFUL laughter! |
But over in Europe, particularly in Italy & Spain, the stockades take a wonderful turn for the better (from a fun, laughter point-of-view).. The stockades are seated, and, once you sit, they have you place your legs up in the ankle-cuff stocks, lock you in, and then lock your hands above your head, exposing your ribs and sides! From the videos that I've seen on YouTube, even though I can't understand the language, what happens next is that, once the volunteer is locked in, they begin the presentation, addressing the crowd, telling the volunteer that they're in some sort of oldie-tyme "legal trouble".. And, as a lifelong lover of ticking bare feet (and also addicted to having my feet tickled! LOL!), this is where it becomes one of my favorite moments EVER! I simply can't get enough of what happens next! As they speak, they usually begin removing the volunteer's shoes & socks, much to the volunteer's very visible, and loud, shock & surprise..(I don't know how they could be surprised! The moment I see helpless, immobile feet, I immediately think, "Laughter time! Let's tickle!")..and also tying the big toes against the top edge of the stockade, so that they can't squirm their feet too much! They usually begin with tickling the person in the stockade's ribs and underarms with finger pokes, to test their overall level of ticklish, before moving onto the exposed, bare feet. Most videos, it starts with fingers tickling feet, then comes a feather (soft part), then the stiff quill part of the feather, then some kind of thick brush across the soles, before ending with a sonic toothbrush (Uh, that's kind of cheating, right?! They didn't have those in Ye Olde England, did they?!) in the arches and under the toes!!! Hah, too awesome, right?! ..And I've also seen some videos, where they've put honey on the toes of the volunteer, and walk up an actual living goat, on a leash, which then licks all the honey off of that trapped person's bare feet (kind of gross, but still awesomely hysterical)! All this time, most people (if they're at all ticklish) are howling with laughter, and the crowd of festival onlookers, that always gather around to watch the show, are usually cracking up laughing, too! How could you not laugh?! Probably one of the most fun, craziest spectacles you could ever witness live & in person!
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I absolutely LOVE it,
would volunteer for it in a nanosecond! |
I previously had speculated that the ridiculous, and misplaced, uptightness of American society is why these tickle-spectacles don't occur here in the States, but only overseas, just like tickle torturing contestants on game shows (talked about that a few blogs back, as well. Go enjoy that one next)! But how can a society that gives big ratings to Miley Cyrus' asinine "twerking", have a problem with huge laughter, and tickling, and the only clothes removed on a person being their shoes & socks?!! I just don't get it! Lighten up, tickle someone! Most people DO love it, even if they think it's weird to talk, read, or write about it! ..Screw that, my friends, I still love being weird! AND, YES, LAUGHING!
;) ..(Search YouTube's "Renfaire Tickling" videos for more on this ridiculously fun scene)..
