Are medieval pageants or other historical events common in your country?

9 comments

1. Finland: Yes, medieval festivals and fairs are held in several towns/cities. I’d say the google image search [result page](https://www.google.com/search?q=keskiaikamarkkinat&client=firefox-b-d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3oPL_w_D5AhXM6CoKHW1tB94Q_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1920&bih=927&dpr=1) may give you some idea of what kinds of things they involve. The activities range from miniature plays with enthusiast actors, via selling small items, all the way to jousting.

2. We have an annual Viking festival where people aim to make things as genuine as possible.

   There are also the *þorrablót,* basically midwinter celebrations where people come together to eat old-timey food and have fun, but that’s fairly modern construct, invented in the mid-20th century by a restaurateur who wanted to find a way to draw customers to his restaurant in the low season. It caught on so spectacularly that it has become a tradition.

3. Yeah, we have a lot of castles and they often organise these types of things.

4. We have a lot of annual medieval pageants in Italy, I come from Friuli Venezia Giulia and in this period of the year is plenty of them!

5. There are medieval fairs here and there across the country – sometimes just in fields, sometimes in castles (or old buildings or neighborhoods). To be fair, most of them tend to be just markets of kind-of-medieval junk along with groups of dedicated and passionate enthusiasts who really want to be as close as possible to historical accuracy – so a kind of mixed bag.

   There are then a lot of traditional pageants across the country. One very famous pageant is the [Ommegang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ommegang_of_Brussels) of Brussels (ok, strictly speaking, it is not “medieval”, but from the Renaissance era): it is a reenactment of Charles V’s entry into Brussels in 1549. It is held in the historical centre of Brussels twice a year. The organizers pay a lot of attention to the accuracy of the costumes (this year, some friends volunteered to take part, and they had very strict guidelines on what could be worn, eg what kind of shoes).

6. Yes, medieval and Viking festivals are very common. They take place at museums, castles, city parks and historical places, where people stays in old tents. They tend to be historical but also with many activities for visitors. Some times there are also [naval battles](https://natmus.dk/uploads/tx_tccards/2218257.jpg).

7. No, but we have an event in my city, “Drăgaica”, where people sell stuff, like cheese, animals, tools…
   Now it’s just a regular festival where you go to have fun: rollercoasters, that big wheel thingy (like the london eye), music, food…
   This event is once a year, from the 1800s (I don’t remember exactly what year).
   P.S: From Romania

   The selling stuff isn’t removed, in the weekends there’s another “event” called “Tancioc” where you… well… sell and buy stuff.

8. I think it’d be hard to find a European country that doesn’t have such events!

   I recently went to the one held in Silves, not far from where I live. Was quite fun, and I really like the old parts of the city and castle. Because Silves used to be an important city back during the time of Moorish rule there’s some Islamic influence at the fair.

9. Yes, very common in Germany. We have a lot of medieval castles and other architecture left and in many cities there are historical festivals or markets around historical events that happened in the region. It’s always fun!