Stryder and his wife just got back from Alaska, and after doing a post about that, he wrote about their next adventure: going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival.
I love the idea of that, but the couple of renaissance type festivals that I have attended in my life were remarkable for their hokiness, in the "noticeably contrived and artificial" sense. I knew that the Society for Creative Anachronism also tries to recreate the Middle Ages, and thought I would check them out.
The group was formed in 1966 in Berkeley, California (tells you a lot, right there) by a group of science fiction and fantasy fans. The web site says they selectively recreate Midieval culture. Thus, there is indoor plumbing and refrigeration for food, and nary a plague flea to be found. The SCA defines its period as the High Middle Ages--before 1600.
In its 18 "kingdoms" scattered all over the globe, each with its own king and queen, a princess and prince (for succession), there are over 30,000 paying members (and many more hangers-on). It is based on a hierarchical and reciprocal order. The nobles owe fealty to their lord, and perform services for him, while the lord owes the nobles and peasants protection and justice.
Under the aegis of the SCA, members study medieval costuming, dance, martial arts, cooking, metalwork, literature and stained glass, to name a few things.
So if you are interested, check out their site, and learn to make chain mail, eat with a knife, and joust, among many other valuable skills.
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