Wonder and entertainment
Illusion, sleight of hand and the pleasure of being fooled.
Wonder and entertainment is the aim of the stage magician: to astonish an audience who knows it is being fooled. Conjuring, illusion, mentalism and street magic belong here, from the cups and balls of ancient Rome to Robert-Houdin, Houdini, Harry Kellar, P. C. Sorcar of India, Siegfried and Roy, and David Copperfield. This page covers the art, its history and its ethics, and does not reveal how any trick is done.
The art of the honest lie
A magician promises a trick and delivers astonishment. The pleasure comes from the gap between what is seen and what is known. Performers speak of misdirection, timing, patter and showmanship. Magicians also keep an informal rule not to expose methods, so that audiences can keep the pleasure and the craft keeps its livelihood. This is the most open part of the subject, in which no one is asked to believe.
Where it is performed
Magic has always had a street and a stage. In India, P. C. Sorcar Sr. (1913 to 1971) toured the world and became a national name. In China and Japan, conjuring was part of variety theatre and a distinct craft. In the Arab world and the Ottoman empire, performers worked in coffee houses and fairs. In the West, the music hall, the television special and the Las Vegas show carried the art into mass entertainment.
Who is welcome
For much of its history, the profession was dominated by men, with women as assistants, though performers such as Adelaide Herrmann broke the pattern. Racial stereotypes shaped acts: Western performers played Chinese or Indian magicians in costume, and Chung Ling Soo's disguise was a famous case. Today, magicians from many countries and women performers are widely visible. Magicians from Egypt, Lebanon, Iran and Nigeria now work on global stages and in festivals, and a few have become well known beyond their borders.
Entertainers against fraud
Houdini and James Randi spent years exposing mediums and faith healers who claimed real powers, arguing that honest conjurers protect the public. Scholars of the mind use magic to study attention, memory and belief. The boundary matters: claiming genuine supernatural power for a trick and charging for it is fraud, not entertainment. As the code puts it, the trick can be admired and enjoyed without the secret being known, and children and adults alike keep that pleasure.
Wonder and entertainment on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomUp Helly Aa
A Shetland fire festival marking the end of Yule with a torchlit procession and burning of a Viking galleyRite 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 7 moreWalpurgis NightWalpurgisnacht
A spring vigil marking the eve of Saint Walpurga's feast day with bonfires and student festivalsRite 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 5 moreHalloween
A Christian vigil on 31 October for the dead, now marked by costumes and carved vegetablesRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomMari LwydY Fari Lwyd
A Welsh winter custom featuring a horse skull carried through villages for song and hospitality.Rite 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Revived
馃嚪馃嚧 Romania and 1 moreFolklore of RomaniaFolclorul rom芒nesc
The traditional stories, music and customs of the Romanian peopleTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚚馃嚳 Czech RepublicCzech folklore
The folk traditions of the Czech people, from seasonal rites to music and craft.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 5 moreTrick-or-treating
A Halloween custom where costumed visitors ask for treats from homesTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 3 moreHobby horse
A costumed character made from wood or cloth used in seasonal folk customs and processions.Illusion 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomBeltane Fire Festival
A modern Edinburgh performance celebrating the start of summer with fire and danceRite 路 Wonder and entertainment 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 3 moreSaturnalia
An ancient Roman winter festival of role reversal and feasting in honor of SaturnTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandIrish folkloreb茅aloideas
The oral traditions, myths and customs of IrelandTradition 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚠馃嚜 Ireland and 4 moreMay Day
A European spring festival marking the start of summer with flowers, poles and fire.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 5 moreStraw bearStrohb盲r
A carnival figure wrapped in straw that visits homes for gifts and marks the turning of seasons.Tradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚝馃嚪 France and 4 moreR茅veillon
A long Christmas or New Year's Eve dinner held to stay awake until morningTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomJack in the Green
A foliate figure worn in English May Day processions to celebrate summerIllusion 路 Wonder and entertainment Revived
馃嚞馃嚙 United Kingdom and 2 moreWheel of the Year
An annual cycle of eight seasonal festivals observed by modern pagans.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyBefana
An Italian witch-like figure who delivers gifts on Epiphany EveFigure 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyBadaliscBadalisch
A mythical goat-headed creature from the Italian Alps, captured and mocked during Epiphany celebrations.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚛馃嚜 Germany and 1 moreEaster Bunny
A German folkloric hare that judges children and delivers colored eggs for EasterBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚜馃嚫 SpainAnjanaan藞hana / an.xa.n蓽
Cantabrian fairies who protect forests and bring gifts to children.Being 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚜 IrelandJack O'The Lantern
An Irish folktale about a deceitful man condemned to wander with a carved lanternFigure 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 2 moreBesom胁械薪懈泻
A twig broom used for sweeping, folk magic, and fire responseCharm 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
馃嚠馃嚬 ItalyTredesin de Mars
A Milanese spring celebration marked by a flower fair and a legendary stoneTradition 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Xana: John William Waterhouse, Public domain, source
- Badalisc: Luca Giarelli, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Walpurgis Night: Luis Ricardo Falero, Public domain, source
- Halloween: Toby Ord, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Mari Lwyd: Thomas Christopher Evans (Cadrawd), Public domain, source
- Folklore of Romania: TwoWings, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Czech folklore: Biser Todorov, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Trick-or-treating: Toyah Anette B, Public domain, source
- Hobby horse: Timkevan at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Beltane Fire Festival: Stefan Sch盲fer, Lich, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saturnalia: Themadchopper, Antoine-Fran莽ois Callet, CC0, source
- Irish folklore: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Easter Bunny: Dr. Bernd Gross, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jack in the Green: SiGarb, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Jack O'The Lantern: Bodrugan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Befana: El 脕gora, Public domain, source
- Up Helly Aa: Mike Pennington, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wheel of the Year: Sunblade1500, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Straw bear: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Besom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cox_(artist), Public domain, source
- Tredesin de Mars: A ntv, Public domain, source