It was very loud and crowded in the Kirillo-Belozersky museum-reserve over the last weekend – the festival of historical reenactment “Kirillo-Belozersky Siege” took place there during two days. Participants and spectators came from different Russian cities. This event was organized by the Tula City Youth Club of Historical Reenactment and Fencing. Its program was the same on both days except some small changes. A rehearsal was held on the eve of the festival.
The historical fair opened the event in the morning on June 8. Stalls where people could buy souvenirs, curious trinkets and things necessary in everyday life were located along the monastery walls. Those spectators who bought the tickets to the festival could see some exhibitions and ascend the galleries of the walls free of charge.
The opening ceremony of the festival started at noon. All clubs participating in it were introduced to the guests. The central event that gave the name to the festival was the reenactment of the siege of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery that had taken place in the 17th century. The Polish and Lithuanian invaders had attacked the monastery in 1612. Dismounted warriors, artillery and mounted troops participated in the battle. Everything was supplemented with explanations and comments. Spectators greeted all actions of the participants with cheers.
Any appearance of the cavalry connected with the reenactment, defiles or contests got round of applause. If in the first two cases, people’s attention was drawn to the horses, during the contests, they worried only about horsemen. It is not difficult to imagine these contests – there is an episode about knights who are to put a lance through a ring in any modern film. But it was not a film. During the festival, people could see it personally. Accuracy of the warriors was tested in many ways: they were to hit a shield with a lance or to cut off apples / heads of cabbage with a saber when horses were in a gallop. Of course, they couldn’t do without a romantic note. The girls gave their kerchiefs which were placed on the field. Horsemen were to hock them with a lance galloping. They did it many times and then returned the kerchiefs to the owners without dismounting from the horse.
The program of the event also included demonstration of arms and clothing of the warriors - from voevodes and knights to simple Russian peasants called up to defend the Motherland.
Master-classes were delivered outside the walls simultaneously with the performances of the clubs: the girls taught people to wash clothing on a wooden platform at Lake Siverskoye. They applied the tools which were out of use long ago, for instance, a dolly. It can be called an ancestor of the washboard used even in the 20th century.
A master-class in cooking on the fire was arranged in the camp of the re-enactors. Foodstuffs were modern, but people could make note of some ancient recipes. The guests of the camp certainly tasted the cooked dishes.
Interactive grounds with medieval games were open for children and adults. The exhibition “Military Valour of Centuries” presenting the equipment of warriors of the Battle of Lake Peipus, the Kulikovo Battle, the Livonian Wars and the Time of Troubles was open in the Vologda Tower.
This festival was held in the Kirillo-Belozersky museum-reserve for the fourth time. But the list of the participants and the program of the events are changed with time. Some new things are also added. “In comparison with the previous festival, the geography of the participants has been expanded. Besides, they are equipped much better now. We haven’t included the combats in the armour in this year’s program, because they were not typical for the 17th century. They used fire weapon at that time. On the other hand, a new element has been introduced – exhibition performances of the cavalrymen from the Moscow club “Reiters”. It was rather interesting to watch them”, said Vladimir Terekhov, one of the festival organizers.
Besides, in the organizers’ opinion, the reenactment itself went off well. Vladimir Terekhov has noted that there are two estimation criteria at the festival: the spectators’ applause (and they applauded all the time) and the opinions of the participants. They expressed favourable opinions and said that they would like to come here once again.
