What is a jester hat?

What is commonly identified as jester's hat is made out of flamboyant colored fabric with bells at the end of three points. The first jester hat was fashioned to resemble the ears of a donkey.

During Elizabethan times William Shakespeare was known to have many jesters preform in his plays. One of the jesters that was known to work for Shakespeare was William Kempe. Though rare, there were also women jesters who performed. Jesters entertained in the courts and among the peasants by singing, dancing, telling stories, performing puppet shows and providing many other forms of entertainment. The court jester tradition ended during England's civil war.