Rachel Revel (pen name) in 1826 published a delightful book detailing all the games one might play during Twelfth Night.
With a plethora of passtimes and forfeits, Ms. Revel, spinster, gives a charming look at parlor games not unlike the low-tech family comedy sports many households may even today be familiar with.
She includes a whimsical dedication and a preface–“to be read–not skipped” which urges readers to take up her volume in lieu of requiring her personal attendance at all their little person droll and drab evening parties where the company will insist upon her orchestrating the games.
There are lots of kissing forfeits, perfect for making amourous partiers blush and flush with excitement, and a perfect excuse for failing at the many games which mostly consist of memory teasers.
Others are similar to games played at sleepovers; Question and Answer much like Truth or Dare, Three Kingdoms like the What Am I? game, and The Toliette a cross between musical chairs and Yankee Swap.
A cute read, you might actually gets some fun low tech ideas for games to play with your kith and kin this holiday Season.
What a fascinating book – thanks for introducing me to it!
This is fantastic! My husband and I were just talking about how we spend too much time in front of screens and we should play games. Or something.
“Rachel Revel, spinster.” 🙂