Entertainment

The word entertainment is most often defined as an event, performance, activity, or a diversion that gives pleasure, relaxation, amusement, and refreshment to the soul, mind, and body.

Generally entertainment is passive and is participated in thru the act of receiving as a host.

Entertainment does not have a pacific time limit and can be demonstrated in a short period of time as you being the host at a dinner or a concert, or over several weeks as when putting guests up at your house, who would than be the host to your hospitality.

Recorded history tells us that entertainment was enjoyed by humans in one form or another by many civilizations.

The early Egyptians enjoyed athletic games such as ball games, gymnastics, and wrestling. Egyptian family activities included swimming, sailing, and board games, while the wealthy hunted lions, crocodiles, and wild cattle using spears and or bows and arrows.

Early Athenians invented the idea of the theatre. For three days they would rise at dawn to watch three plays each day. The three plays for each day were written by one playwright and a different playwright for every day. A panel of judges selected the best play and the winning playwright was given some money as the winner.

The Romans enjoyed crude entertainment in that it consisted of men and animals killing each other. They had chariot races and watched fights between gladiators, who fought to the death. The fights where held in the amphitheatre which was a circular or oval shaped that had a center area surrounded by seating that was tiered. One such amphitheatre was the Colosseum that held 45,000 spectators.

Another culture the Mayas enjoyed a ball game that was played in a ball court in every Mayan city. They where only allowed to hit the ball with their hips, thighs, shoulders, and upper arms against the sloping walls of the court. The ending was grim with the loser being sacrificed as an offering to their Gods.

Many forms of our entertainment today where derived from these early activities from ancient civilizations.

There are many forms of entertainment today with some of these being cinema, theatre, social dance, and sports.

What one person considers entertainment may not be so to another.

We have adult entertainment and child entertainment which is things that would appeal to children such as puppets, clowns, cartoons, and pantomimes.

Some other forms of entertainment are animation, comedy, dance, music, reading, games, magic, television, radio, and mass media.