When you hear the word “clown ” what comes to mind? If you’re like most people you probably thought Purim circuses parties or jokes. But most cultures throughout history have had their clowns who aside from being funny were often the only ones who could criticize the rulers and their policies — in fun of course though the topics were serious — and get away with it. Take a guess how long clowns have been around. Clowns date back to 2400 BCE inEgypt. They were part of Ancient Greek andRoman societies and were the court jesters of the middle ages. Cultures around the world have clowns as part of their history.