RUSSIA: Russians with a love of history stage festival to bring the Middle Ages back to life

Record ID: 593251

  • Title: RUSSIA: Russians with a love of history stage festival to bring the Middle Ages back to life
  • Date: 2nd September 2007
  • Summary: SPECTATORS APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) PARTICIPANT IN MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL, ANDREI SOLNTSEVOROT, SAYING: "The main purpose of our activity is to show young people what it was like before, how our predecessors lived, to show them something national and to turn them away from McDonalds and Coca-Cola. They should all be drinking Kwas, fight with swords and not forget the past. Because without the past there is no future."
  • Embargoed: 17th September 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA4GCBTBZ5CPWHR2C1JVSE2BOAD
  • Story Text: Hundreds of people with a love of medieval times transform themselves into knights and take part in duels.
    People with a love for ancient history recently gathered to re-enact the medieval way of life. The festival took place on a field outside the historic town of Segeyev Posad, some 70 kilometres west of Moscow, and brought together more than 30 re-enactment societies from all over Russia.
    Dressed up as medieval knights and warriors, the participants of the festival try to bring to life the Middle Ages, and focus mainly on the wars, battles and conflicts.
    Using wooden shields, ancient axes and swords, the participants try to reproduce the battles as well as they can. The armies are set up just as in medieval times, with warriors carrying heavy protection such as wooden shields in the front lines, followed by lines of more mobile warriors with axes or bows and arrows.
    "The main purpose of our activity is to show young people what it was like before, how our predecessors lived, to show them something national and to turn them away from McDonalds and Coca-Cola. They should all be drinking Kwas, fight with swords and not forget the past. Because without the past there is no future," said Andrei Solntsevorot. Kwas is a traditional Russian soft drink.
    Besides showing the medieval way of fighting, this festival also showed visitors the ancient way of cooking, and making handicrafts and jewellery.
    The Middle Ages were littered with wars and battles, and many took place on Russia's soil. There are hundreds of re-enactment societies in Russia, who regularly reproduce battles. The members of the clubs all share a passion for history.
    "For girls for instance it is interesting to make handicrafts and do authentic cooking. We do lots of sewing, collect beads, it is all interesting. It also requires difficult scientific research, we go to the library to gather information. We make replicas of the ancient costumes, the decorations and study the handicrafts. Besides that it offers the possibility to travel," said Anastasia Khromyakova from Moscow, who has been a member of a re-enactment society for five years.
    Participants of the festival said it had taken them several years to get all the costumes and armour ready.
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