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.

Glance of Pirate Lifestyle in Arabian Nights

The treasure hunt of the pirate lifestyle is the subject of fascination among a large number of people across Europe and America. On the other hand, the funky clothing of the raiders also became a prominent allure. Pirate clothing, shirts, skirts, corsets and many other outfits for both men and women are the fashion-statements in the recent times. Besides, the glimpse of the raiders’ lifestyle can be witnessed in a number of films and video games.

As a matter of the surprise, you can witness this lifestyle in a number of conventional stories of distinct nations also. “Arabian Nights”, otherwise known as “One Thousand and One Nights”, can be taken as an example, which is the collection of stories of West and South Asia. These stories take us to the Islamic golden era, but we find a lot of fiction in the form of magic and supernatural events. These interesting tales comprise of voyages of some great fictional personalities. Quite obviously, the pirate lifestyle can also be witnessed occasionally in these tales. The characters in the Arabian Nights have to face the robbers across the sea occasionally. Especially in the modern versions of these tales, this lifestyle can be witnessed more vividly.

The story of Sinbad can be taken as an instance in this respect. Sinbad is a sailor who goes for the voyages, and he has to face different enemies. He himself is not raiders, but surprisingly he has been shown as a pirate in some of the modern version of stories. The famous animated film “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas”, is a perfect instance in this respect. In the film, Sinbad is a sea rover and has a crew. But, he is not like typical rovers who loot the ships of wealthy people. He and his crew attempt to steal a magical and mystical book named “Book of Peace”. The pirate boots of Sinbad is also different from the typical raider’s costumes. The costume looks beautiful, but it unquestionably reflects the sea rovers’ lifestyle. In the traditional stories also, Sinbad is a sailor. We all know that the sailor-like attitude of the freebooters is one of the prominent things, which are liked by the people of today. So, the character of Sinbad can also be a subject of allure for them.

These stories provide the wonderful stuff for people with variant interests. The tales are interesting and will take you to another world.

Commencement of Renaissance Age: Reasons & Impacts

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Renaissance Age was unquestionably an unforgettable time for the European people. This was the period when a popular art and cultural movement took place in that continent. This movement impacted the people, and a drastic change was witnessed in every walk of life. It was started in middle-ages, and some people consider its proceeding eras as dark-ages.  The dark-ages were the eras of economic decline, and technological & intellectual stagnation. A lot of dogmatism was witnessed in the early medieval times also. The society was under the control of orthodox churches, and all the literature preserved in the courts and monasteries of Europe was ignored. Then the intellectuals like Martin Luther and John Calvin came in limelight who gave a new direction to the society. This was the period of renaissance movement, when all walks of life were seen in a new light.

There were several reasons behind the commencement of this period.  The ignored classic literature was revived by various scholars, which became a prominent aspect in giving a different direction to the society. Besides, printing press was launched, so it became easy to spread the cultural awareness by mass publishing of classics. On the other hand, the hand of support was extended by rulers and some of the churches, which also helped in flourishing the movement. In addition, some nations contacted with each other in various ways. For instance, hundred years war between England and some groups of France was ceased, and these nations shared the ideas of the movement. On the contrary, a new war was started between England and Italy, which is why these nations came in contact of each other.

When the reawakening age started a number of changes took place in society. People became much aware about art and culture. This tendency was lacking up to a great extent before that era. The lifestyles of people were changed according to the new cultural parameters. Various creative expressions in all facets of daily life were witnessed.

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A huge change was observed in the dressing styles of people also.  The reason behind the change is not very clear, but the movement may be a big cause behind it. Before this era, people used to wear the simple and natural costumes. Most of these dresses were made from wool. But, in renaissance age, people started wearing the shining and flamboyant outfits.  A lot of modification was done in the costumes.

But, there was a community who was still unaffected with the movement. It was the peasant community, which was the group of labor-class. These people had no scope of change due to their hard lifestyle. With the passage of time, they also became part of the middle-class society and acquired the cultural impact of the movement. These people used to wear practical and basic dresses, but they accepted the showy dresses after becoming part of the movement.

In the present scenario, the renaissance style clothing has become the fashion-statement of the people. You can acquire these dresses for parties, festivals and casual gathering from a number of websites like Renaissance-Outfits.com & TudorDressing.com

Medieval History of Men and Women’s Dresses

The time period characterized by fall of Roman Empire and the beginning of renaissance is popularly known as medieval period or middle age. This period saw revival around fifth century and lasted till fifteenth century. It was the period when men’s fashion change rapidly in comparison women’s. Clothing styles of men and women very different from each others. In social setup too their medieval costume differed widely. Lower class people were living in miserable condition; they were forced to wear clothing of last century until disrepair state where they had to buy a new set. New Introduced sumptuary laws divided the society largely on the base color and material of fabric.

Women’s medieval costume

The evidence of women’s clothing, what they actually wore comes from mid-fourteenth century. Female dresses were experiencing a great degree of change. Dresses became tighter with lower necklines and designed to outline the feminine posture. Tight lacing to provide fitting shape, for long waist appearance griddles were used and corset became the one of the significant part of their clothing. Open bodice with attached floor length skirt more popularly called surcoat was the elegant part of their dressing. In actual, in the beginning of fifteenth century gowns replaced all the female wears except surcoat.

Hose, kirtle, smock, gown, surcoat, girdle, bonnet and hood were basic clothing of women. However material and color used in making of these garments were distinct for women of each social status. Upper class women wore garments of expensive fabrics like silk, velvet, damask and taffeta in rich and vibrant colors while lower class women wore apparels of linen, shipskin, wool and cotton. Infact in later period poor people were restricted from using cotton because it was heavily taxed while imported (from India) and kept royals only. Skirt was one of the significant features of medieval dresses of women and petticoat made the way for these fashionable garments which were available in myriad designs and patters.

Men’s Medieval Costumes

Regardless of social standing in society medieval men’s garment were consist of tunic, trousers, cloak and leggings. Single brooch was used to fasten the cloak. Tying, lacing and clasping technique were applied as another method of fastening. ‘Have nots’ wore cloak made from wool. Tunics had length between hip and knee and were tied by belt or girdle. Trousers were worn under short tunic or cloak. With narrow trousers Garters or leggings worn as complementary pairs, two pairs of leggings were worn for protection of legs. Lower class people made use of old clothes to make them while wealthier people’s leggings were custom made.

Social status was supreme during medieval period and this notion made clearer by clothing. Generally scarlet colors like red and purple were meant for nobles especially for kings and princes. Among wealthier people nobles were the trend setter. Their clothing made of expensive fabrics was embellished with elaborate embroideries, laces, ruffles and embedded gems.

Negligence by rulers, miserable living condition and unemployment forced some English people towards the path of piracy. Popularly known as sea robbers, their pirate clothing were basically the looted costumes from hijacked ships of merchants and rulers.

Although clothing were one of the major way of dividing people in social hierarchy but so much of severance resulted in invention of new techniques and clothing designing methods which is still making modern human beings gaga for medieval costumes.

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Renaissance Wedding Costume takes in Medieval Style

Wedding gowns can be found in shops who deal in bridal wears however it can be happened that such shops of your area don’t carry themed dresses. There is another option of searching for these renaissance costumes. Search for designers who offer custom designing. Custom designed renaissance gowns will have quality fabric with exact measurement, stunning and striking appearance but there is one problem, custom made dresses cost a lot. So, the best available option is to haunt them online. Internet can prove a very helpful medium for finding awesome period dresses. You will be able to find wedding dresses of famous 3Ps. - princess, peasant and pirate online.

Renaissance costumes for wedding available online are on par with the dresses of offline shops in terms of quality and are reasonably priced. You will get the same costume at much lower price. If website from where you are opting to buy dress comes with schemes like discounts and free shipping then it will be icing on the cake, make purchase amount very cost effective. To reach the classism of medieval style your wedding dress must be slim fitted, corset or griddle to support upper part of body and laced in front. Renaissance wedding gowns have embroidery, stitched with threads of gold or silver.

Gearing up for a medieval theme wedding, a lot of preparation is needed for themed weddings. From costumes of bride and groom to guests, from food to background and from music to etiquettes of people all should be able to reflect the charm and charisma of renaissance magical era. Soon to be bride expects her renaissance dress for wedding to be magnificent attire, appealing, giving the renaissance vibes and make her look outstanding. However in order to get a perfect renaissance style gown you need to put effort otherwise you will end up building castles in the air.

Just look at the few dresses available on internet; I’ll bet they can give a stiff competition to renaissance clothing of any established offline shops.

Hildegard Princess Dress: This dress is again made from velvet fabric. The brocade fabric on side panels and puffy upper sleeves make it appear opulent. Drawstring and loops on back are provided for comfort fit. This alluring dress is perfect for your dream wedding.

Lady of Lead Gowns: This elegant piece of cloth is made from soft velvet fabric, has long funnel type sleeves with a cut underneath of which another sleeves of narrow endings are stitched. In similar fashion the skirt part of gown has slit and golden color brocade lace peeped out of it.

The Majestic Beauty Gown: This gown is the beautiful combination of nobel surcoat and princess of pearl dress. Surcoat is made from velvet fabric has wide neckline and large armholes with white metallic sequenced lace. Dress part is made from satin material with blue and gold trims. For buttons white pearl are used.

Above mentioned renaissance dresses and renaissance costumes for themed wedding are my favorite, you will find a lot more on internet once you start browsing.

Festival and its Create Fashion

Village fairs and festivals were important occasions in the life of the common people in Renaissance Europe, when they could socialize at these public venues and also market their handicrafts and other home-made products. This was an occasion for them to dress up in gaiety in the best of their clothes, to add to the festive atmosphere.
Today’s sub-culture borrows its fashion from the styles of costumes. The flowing lines of long full length gowns, corset-shaped jackets with drawstrings, pirate-style shirts, skirts with trimmings, frills and laces with loose tops lined with brocades and frills are favorite themes of renaissance costumes inspired by the Mediaeval clothing styles. These styles are mixed with punk styles and contemporary looks to create a new style.
This sub-culture also borrows the theme of fairs from the mediaeval period. However, unlike the fairs of the period, the contemporary sub-cultural fairs are occasions to show off the Sub-cultural costumes. People dress up in their costumes, dye their hair black, shade their nails and lips in dark shades and also a=carry accessories from the mediaeval clothing such as swords gilded and studded with semi-precious stones.
In these fairs, people who follow his sub-culture also wear the specific costumes related to the famous characters from the mediaeval history and English literature. Invitations are sent out using archaic English, mentioning the names of fictional characters from literature and special gala evens to recreate the mood of festival. This event is very popular all over the United States and especially the state of Florida is famous for these kinds of festivals.
A festival thus, is a sub-cultural expression of the people’s desire to break free of formatted lives created by the industrialized societies. At the same time, it is an occasion for the garment industry to promote the sub-cultural Renaissance costumes.