Traditional Costumes
Ueli
Medieval Court Jester
The figure of Ueli takes its look from the medieval court jester whose attributes also characterise his costume.
Characteristics of the Medieval Jester
Firstly there is the jester’s cap which can be traced back to the so-called Gugel (a type of hood). It is often decorated with a comb. This has its origins in the cockscomb, as in the Middle Ages the cock was regarded as the embodiment of vice and sexual desire. Two fabric horns protrude from the side. They symbolise the donkey’s ears and developed as a further characteristic of the medieval jester. Back then the donkey embodied the vice of indolence, was stupid and therefore ignorant.
Costume
The costume of today’s Ueli is often cut in the so-called Mi-Parti: it is divided in half vertically with both parts in different colours. The individual elements of the costume (cap, cloth horns, collar, free-hanging short-cut top, knee-length trousers and crakows) are offset in colour. The jagged seams of the costume, the fabric horns and the crakows are decorated with bells.
Hooknose
The mask is characterised by a pronounced hooked nose.
Uly von Stouffen
In Sebastian Brant’s ‘Narrenschiff’ (Ship of Fools) we encounter an illustration of Uly von Stouffen at the end of the 15th century. He obviously embodies a fool as he is holding a mirror and drinking cup in his hand. It is quite possible that the name Ueli for a fool was derived from this.
