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2011 White Oak School Days!

Monday, May 16th, 2011

It is time once again for the White Oak Historical Society to host their annual School Days program. Every year schools and the public have the opportunity to participate in a living history educational event where costumed interpreters present thirty minute workshops on a variety of historical subjects. New this year we are featuring three workshops about the late 15th century: A 15th Century Knight; Life in the 15th Century; and Women in the 15th Century. Children and adults will have the opportunity to see, touch, and experience what it was like to live and work in times gone by.
When: Thursday May 19th and Friday May 20th 10 am to 3pm
Where: The White Oak Society & Learning Centre Site, Deer River, MN
Cost: $10.00 per person

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Tags: reenacting, school days, white oak
Posted in General, Recreating History | No Comments »

Michigan Renaissance Festival – A Reenactment of History

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

By Pollux Parker

The Michigan Renaissance Festival gives a reminiscent historical experience of theatrical and musical acts, music, handicrafts, and costumed performers such as in the time of King Henry VIII or 18th century pirates.

renaissance festival, renaissance, medieval reenacting, reenactor

Michigan Renaissance Festival by uberphot

This festival is held yearly on weekends of August to October in Holly, Michigan. The festival has different themes every weekend such as the Highland Fling, Buccaneer Beer Fest, Wonders of the World, High Seas Adventure, and Sweet Endings. The Highland Fling will give you a taste of a wide array of authentic Scottish activities. There are Scottish music and traditional dances one can join in.

You can also show off your skills in the Peasant Olympics, Great Kilt Race, and the Battle of the Bartenders. The Buccaneer Beer Fest, as the name implies, is when you can enjoy a lot of frothy ale. A treasure awaits those who will join the Jack Sparrow look-alike contest and Swab the Deck game. The High Seas Adventure is a pirate theme. You think you have the perfect scoundrel skills? Then the Perfect Pirate Contest is for you. Walk the Plank Game and Drag Race are other available games where one can win a bounty of treasure. A six-course gourmet is available at The Feast of Fantasy, which includes an interactive show and a keepsake goblet. Visitors can also indulge themselves in The Royal High Tea that offers a variety of delicious finger sandwiches, scones, tarts, and Lipton tea. Of course, there’s an array of finest entertainment as you enjoy your sandwiches and tea.

The Full-Contact Armored Jousting must not be missed. Feel the thrill and excitement of what could be almost the real deal of jousting. The Wonders of World theme has a lot of events and activities that will make you feel as if you have traveled around the world. Enjoy the mystical intrigue of belly dancing, sample foods and wines from around the world, learn the art of origami, and even make a sugar cube castle. The Sweet Endings theme is for every chocolate lover. It is an annual Chocolate Festival with games such as the Sweets Stroll and Chocolate Pie Building and Eating contest.

Other than the aforementioned events of every theme, there are many more activities and entertainment. A whole day might not be enough with more added every year. Merchants selling flowers and herbs, leather wares, fiber art, and clothing and costumes among others are also available in the grounds. The Michigan Renaissance Festival is definitely a must-visit for everyone.

Pollux Parker is an adventurer who loves discovering secret island getaways in each country he visits. Pollux also likes to collect US Flags and buy cheap US Flags.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pollux_Parker
http://EzineArticles.com/?Michigan-Renaissance-Festival—A-Reenactment-of-History&id=5567175

The Italian Renaissance

ISBN13: 9780618127382
Condition: New
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Spanning an age that witnessed great achievements in the arts and sciences, this definitive overview of the Italian Renaissance will both captivate ordinary readers and challenge specialists. Dr. Plumb”s impressive and provocative narrative is accompanied by contributions from leading historians, including Morris Bishop, J. Bronowski, Maria Bellonci, and many more, who have further illuminated the lives of some of the era”s most unforgettable personalities, from Petrarch to Pope Pius II, Michela

List Price: $ 16.00

Price:

Renaissance Wench Costume-Adult Standard Size

Costume features a long peasant dress.
Dress fits off the shoulders.
A matching cummerbund is included.
The costume fits ladies who wear sizes 8 to 12.

Travel back to the days of yore when kings, queens, maidens and musketeers were commonplace, and castles needed to be defended regularly. Our Adult Renaissance Peasant Woman costume will outfit you beautifully for the era of moats, mead, and turrets! The costume includes a long, peasant dress in Renaissance style as well as a matching cummerbund. The costume fits ladies who wear sizes 8 to 12.

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Tags: michigan renaissance festival, reenacting, reenactor, renaissance, renaissance festival
Posted in Recreating History | 1 Comment »

Reenacting – Medieval Reality? The Science of the Middle Ages

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

medieval lore, medieval history, medieval creatures, medieval reenacting, bartholomew, anglicus In any historical society authenticity is always the goal. We’re not here to portray a fantasy realm of elves and gnomes, but yet in the authentic medieval mind fantasy and reality can overlap. As an example dragons, which have been officially declared fictitious, were simply a scientific fact. The existence of dragons wasn’t just merely proven, but also explained through eyewitness observations of the creatures throughout the world by a vast array of people of diverse cultures and geography. To deny the existence of dragons was like denying the existence of yourself; an outrageous and ignorant statement.

Perhaps the best source for researching this fascinating aspect of medieval reality is in the works of the English Franciscan Bartholomew Anglicus. Bartholomew’s writings hark from the mid-thirteenth century and quickly became an immensely popular scientific textbook for the next two hundred or more years.

My historical persona, Lothar Von Degen, being well educated at the University of Trier, would most likely have purchased one of the then ten available printed editions for his studies. Perhaps he might have been considered intellectual to discuss the griffins that breed in the mountains of Hyperborean and protect a massive wealth of gems and precious stones?

Did you know that elephants collect herbs to cure their sick and raise their heads to pray to their god? Hyenas change gender every year, and sometimes dragons quench their burning thirst by flying with an open mouth against the sails of ships to catch the cold wind.

Modern science knew all these facts well, and the general populace thrilled to learn. Such information, not being a 20th/21st century interpretation but rather the actual thirteenth century accounts by learned men, can do much for us as historical reenactors to understand the medieval mind. Oftentimes the dry history books we read miss these interesting and socially influential beliefs that were held common in their day.

The true challenge of authenticity lies in the ability to distinguish the true medieval lore from the modern fantasy-theme view.

“If the sky falls, we shall catch larks.”
-common 15th century English proverb.

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Tags: anglicus, fantasy, medieval science, reenacting
Posted in Bartholomew Anglicus, Medieval History, Recreating History | No Comments »

Historical Reenacting – Speaking in Character

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

A very important aspect of making reenacted characters come alive is that when we speak, we must remember that to us it is not the 21st century. Therefore we should say things like “the way I thatch a roof is. . .” indicating that we are doing this as a natural and modern practice. Modern for 1495 anyway. I can’t believe how many “reenactors” tend to forget this kind of thing or claim that it’s not important. To me it’s a very basic part of bringing the past to life in the present tense.

medieval reenacting, medival weapons, historical reenacting

Photo Credit: Anna Gambardella, Milano Italy

Only speak in the past tense when it is appropriate for your character such as “last week I was working on Isabelle’s roof when a merchant from Trier came into town…” Do not say things such as “back in 1495…”, or “the way they used to do this…”, or “before cars they used horses for…” as this will only say to the listeners that you are Bob from town in funny clothes talking about how it was done over 500 years ago.

This simple adjustment of your language use will make the visitor to our event feel like they have been transported back in time. And for goodness sakes do NOT talk about video games, airplanes, who you saw at the Perkins last week or anything that is not directly related to our task at hand.

True living history is only 30% costume. What really brings a character to life is the way you speak and carry yourself. No, it doesn’t necessarily mean having an accent, though that helps, but its the rhythm of your talking and the words you use.

Modern slang and phrases is the first dead giveaway that you’re not doing a top job. Practice reading Shakespeare, Chaucer, or other similar works. Don’t read them as dry literature, but find the life that lies within them. They have a beat and tempo that, once found, adds so much to the scribblings on the page. This is what you want to find and incorporate into your character.

Every bit as important is to practice reading out loud to a group. Some of you may find this embarrassing at first, but its imperative that you learn do it well. Its not as daunting as you would think with a little practice. By bringing your character to life, you have created your own little piece of the 15th century, and if we all make our little pieces, when we put them together, our picture will be truly outstanding!

Some Medieval Vocabulary

Afore = Before
Behoof = Benefit, Advantage, Use
Bull = A papel edict or decree
Charges = Troops
Churl = A peasant; a rude person
Cunning = Knowledge, Learning, Skill
Enjoin = To command
Fain = Glad, Pleased, Happy
Palfrey = A riding horse
Rascal = Dishonest person, Rogue, Rabble

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Tags: costume, medieval language, reenacting
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Medieval Games – Primero the Medieval Poker

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Gambling games have always been popular, and the fifteenth century was no exception. For many people, one of the first gambling games that comes to mind is classic poker. Poker is a fairly old game that originated in Italy sometime during the early 1400’s, when it was called Primero. From then to now this game has sprouted countless versions from centuries of devoted players.

One could easily say that there are as many versions as there are people in Europe. During the early days of development people would add and subtract rules in attempt to “liven-up the game”, or more likely give themselves an edge.

Primero was enjoyed and played by anyone who could obtain a deck of cards including campaigning soldiers, virtually every inn-keeper, and even Elizabeth I of England who described it as her most favorite game to play. For historical reenactors like us, Primero is an excellent example of the daily-life details that help our public visitors get a real taste of “living history”.

Before starting the game of Primero, remove all eight’s, nines, and tens from the deck of cards. Like in poker, the object of the game is to obtain a specific hand. An added feature is that all cards have a point value. The point values of the cards are as follows:

Seven………………..21 Ace……………….16 Four…………………14 Two……………….12
Six………………….18 Five………………15 Three………………..13 Face Cards…………10

There are four hands that gain points. Following is a list of them in order from least value to greatest value:

Numerous = Two or three cards of the same suit. The point value is equal to the sum of these cards.

In the case of having two Numerouses in the same hand, it is recommended that you use the one of higher point value.

Primero = Four cards, one of each suit. The point value is equal to the sum of these cards.

Supremus = Consists of a seven, six, and ace of the same suit. The point value is always 55.

Fluxus = Four cards of the same suit. The point value is the sum of these cards. A Fluxus will always beat any Supremus, Primero, or Numerous.

To begin the game, each player is dealt four cards. After everyone has there cards, each player bets his or her stake. Stakes may be raised at will until all players are finished, but to remain in the game all players must match the highest bet. Then, each player is dealt two more cards with which he or she can keep, or exchange with the deck. One or both of the cards may be exchanged. Bets are now placed for a second time if desired.

It is also an option at this point for a player not to bet, but to drop-out of the game without typically being hence-forth labeled a “coward”.
If all but one of the players drop out of the game, it is the duty of the player on the right of the person who didn’t forfeit to continue the hand lest he be looked upon with little favor or honor. The winner of the round is the player with the highest ranking hand, and receives all stakes that have been bet.

As a note to reenactors, since authentic money is difficult to come-by for demonstrating this to the public, I suggest rations, trinkets, or even labors as an alternative exchange. Authentic playing cards can be purchased from only a handful of sources that I know of.

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