THE MAGIC OF MEDIEVAL TIMES
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by Rose Maramba
What comes to mind when somebody says “medieval”? Dashing knight in shining armor rescuing a damsel in distress? The deadly clashes of swords and battle axes to repel villainous guys invading a feudal kingdom? Hundreds of arrows sent raining down on foot soldiers and the fiery prince storming a castle on his warhorse to save the lovely princess from the clutches of a malevolent lord and carry her off into the sunset?
“Nothing is unobtainable to the swords,” so Lord Dunsany proclaims in Don Rodriguez: Chronicles of Shadow Valley.
There should be dancing, too, to troubadours and minstrels singing of heroic exploits and courtly love at banquets.
Oh, the roaring romance and high drama of it!
Too bad we’re stuck in the prosaic modern world where chivalry is dead and gone and trying to resuscitate it is simply as futile as flogging a dead horse – even romance is if not totally and absolutely defunct then comatose!
“’Those darling byegone times, Mr Carker,’ said Cleopatra, ‘with their delicious fortresses, and their picturesque assaults and sieges, and everything that makes life truly charming! How dreadfully we have degenerated!’” – Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son.
But surely one can still try and bring it all back even for just a while?
Of course, one can! It’s worth the effort.
Come to Avila on the first weekend of September (2 – 4 September 2016), that hauntingly beautiful medieval walled city, 110 km 1 h 30 min from Madrid via AP-6 and A-6. A World Heritage Site in the spiritual heart of Castile & Leon. The time machine, a.k.a. XX Jornadas Medievales festival, will whisk you back to the Middle Ages. You’ll be witness to heart-stopping medieval battles, and feast on the glorious gastronomical delicacies the medieval stalls are dishing out.
The fun and games of old!
There will be joust tournaments complete with the clashing of heavy cavalry.
Some 300 stalls in the medieval market, 20 workshops, 60 shows daily, more than 100 actors from 16 theater, music, as well as circus companies will be there for you.
Musical Sport, the company that’s handling the festival, is touting it as one of the top three shows in Spain.
Two of the XX Jornadas Medievales’ most exciting events are the parade of the Espiritus de la Noche (Spirits of the Night) and the Caballeros del Fuego (Knights of Fire) show.
How about that!
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–Featured image/Prawny, Pixabay
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