Renaissance Fairs, or Renaissance Faires, as they are sometimes spelled, were carried out annually at between the end of winter and the start of Spring, to celebrate the rebirth of the land and the appearance of the new crops and young animals, both of which were essential for survival in these harsh times.

Renaissance winters were known to be very hard, and many ordinary people did not survive them. There was no central heating or social security in these days, and you ate what you earned. The scarce food that was available in winter was usually reserved for the higher classes and nobility, leaving the peasants to forage for themselves. Little wonder, then, that they celebrated the end of it.

The word ‘renaissance’ means ‘rebirth’. It was a time to celebrate survival of the harsh winter, the rebirth of the land and the new spring lambs, and the promise of good times ahead in the spring and summer. Musicians and mummers, jugglers and jesters, all came out to entertain, and the farmers displayed their new spring crops while food and drink were laid out for all to enjoy.

These periods of celebration of the end of winter and beginning of spring are reenacted in America and elsewhere in the world in the form of Renaissance Fairs that involve dressing up, entertainment and lots of food and drink presented to represent the period in history being celebrated.

The American Renaissance Fairs are not so much reenactments of the real thing, but entertainments with a mix of the old and authentic with the new and modern. People dress up in renaissance costumes but also in modern movie styles such as in Lord of the Rings costumes, and other period movie costumes. There are many types of imaginative fantasy costume on show, and people eat roast beef and pork with their fingers and drink real English ale.

The Renaissance period occurred during the reigns of the Tudors, but is generally associated with the period from Henry VIII to the end of the Elizabethan era. The dress worn by the traditionalists at Renaissance Faires is generally in the Tudor style, and the food is equally sumptuous. While some fairs attempt to narrow the period they are celebrating specifically to the Elizabethan, with the Queen’s Procession, other cater for the full period of early English history from the mediaeval to the end of the renaissance period.

People dress in any form of costume they think fit for the period, and also in the guise of well known characters such as the renaissance gowns of Queen Elizabeth and her ladies at court, or fictional characters such as the Three Musketeers and Quasimodo, albeit they were French! The fair itself is normally held in an enclosed area, for which admission is required, and where the food and drink are displayed.

Some are very traditional, even the language used being that most associated with period England, and the music being provided by timbrels and lutes rather than drums and guitars. Many ‘Faires’ state the specific year or era that is being portrayed, and the fictitious name of the shire or town in which it is being held. Sometimes pets are allowed, and sometimes not. One must keep in mind that small animals were not always safe in renaissance times, the population often being very hungry, especially immediately after a hard winter, so if the faire is truly authentic, keep an eye on your cats and dogs!

A Renaissance festival can take place over a weekend or even several days, with social events and specific demonstrations organized portraying such activities as Renaissance dancing, cookery and the fashioning of renaissance clothing.

If you ever get the chance, take part in one. It is something to remember, and as you enjoy yourself reflect for a moment on the life that the ordinary person must have lived in those far off days, when the end of winter was something to be celebrated in this way.