Peasant Women – Real Heroines of the Middle Ages

The medieval society has various classes such as royals, nobles, farmers, peasants and many others. Among them, the lives of the peasants were hardest, as they had to do the tough labors in the fields of others. Several other hard works were also assigned to these peasants, also known as serfs. Earning their livelihood was the major focus of lives of the serfs, so they had no scope of the artistic activities. The medieval costumes of these peasants used to have very simple and basic.

As a matter of the fact, the lives of peasant women were much harder than men. They had to help their husbands in their works, plus they had to manage the household works such as cooking the meal. The daily life of a woman in a peasant family would start at 3 A.M. First, she had to prepare breakfast in the morning for the family. In the day time, she had to go the fields with her husband for harvesting and other works of the farms. Moreover, she also had to make arrangements for the daily lunch and dinner.

Besides, it was also expected from women to take care of the small animal such as geese and chicken. Moreover, mending the clothes, weaving and spinning were also part of the life of the females. Collecting the berries and herbs was also under their responsibility. Moreover, they were also required to have knowledge of basic herbs for the nursing the family. Similar to most of the cultures, taking care of the children of the family was also the responsibility of the women.

Working hours in the summer days used to have longer as compared to the winter season. Most of the time of the women was spent in fields, household works and children, so they had very little leisure time. The medieval dresses of the women would be made up of wool, and the lifestyle used to be simple.

The abovementioned facts state that the role of peasant women was much important than men. They were in the center of households, and life for men was almost impossible for them. Therefore, it will not be wrong to say that females had much significant role in the uplift of the society in the medieval era.

Moreover, the role of women in the other sections of the society apart from peasants can also not be denied. Still, there was discrimination with women – it is really shocking.

Have Fun with Variety of Reenactment Activities in Renaissance Festivals

Reenactment of the historical events is very common in various festivals in the recent times. Participants attempt to recreate the historical events or period in such activities. Reenactment of the renaissance period is very popular in the present scenario, in which the events of that golden era are reenacted. That was the era of reawakening and exploration. The activities may differ depending upon the festivals. But, some of the activities remain common, such as the reenactment of English Civil Wars. It was the eighty year wars of Low Countries (historical lands around the low-lying delta).

Moreover, some other such reenactments may also take place in these fares. Sometimes, some other significant battles of history are also demonstrated. Besides, various activities are performed without focusing on a particular war. For instance, the jousting activities in which one horseman in the medieval clothing hits the other one with lance, is very much popular in the festivals of today. Moreover, archery competitions and demonstrations are also the brilliant forms of reenactment.

Apart from the battles, many other types of activities take place in the fares, which provide the entertainment as well as education to the people. For example, the occupations of the people of that era are also perfectly demonstrated in the faire. Blacksmithing was one of the major occupations during that era, which is well-demonstrated in the renaissance festivals. Besides, the medieval style storytelling also remains the special allure of the event.

The festival is divided into weekends in order to provide the demonstrations of distinct activities. Every weekend has a distinct theme that takes the visitor to another world. In some of the festivals, one weekend is kept reserved for the reenactment of the pirate lifestyle also. On the other hand, some fictional reenactments can also be witnessed in some the weekends of some festivals. The steampunk weekends are the best examples in this regard. Steampunk is the modified version of the Victorian age, which is based on the futuristic technology.

Beside, the people in various renaissance costumes can also be considered as a wonderful reenactment activity. Pants, skirts, shirts, and many other dresses of the reawakening era, are worn by visitors and the participants. On the other hand, these dresses have also become the fashion statement in the recent times. You can see the people wearing them in the other themed events also.

While watching the reenactment activities of the festivals, visitors feel like stepping back to 400 years ago from today.