Provan Medieval Festival. (Photo credit: The European Times)
Crowded, noisy, smelly ...... medieval times are often referred to as the Dark Ages, but today more and more historians want to do the Middle Ages justice. Many historians argue that art, science, medicine, and commerce all developed during the Middle Ages. It is just that the Middle Ages were sandwiched between the splendor of Greco-Roman civilization and the Renaissance, and therefore seem too bleak. What was "real" medieval life like? The following performances and exhibitions on medieval culture in Paris and its suburbs will take us through the veil of mystery and bring us closer to a picture of "real" medieval life.
Provins: a medieval marketplace revived
With the arrival of April, the medieval town of Provins in the southeast suburbs of Paris, which was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in December 2001, is now officially in its tourist season. The town bears witness to the development of the European economy, trade, culture and urban planning from the 11th to the 13th centuries, and still preserves the original structure and authenticity of the town. Now, with the arrival of the tourist season, all kinds of medieval performances in the old town will recreate the prosperity and bustle of the town for visitors.
The Legends of the Knights
In 2016, the show LaLégendedeschevaliers (The Legends of the Knights)*** staged in Provan received some 110,000 spectators, with horsemanship, lion taming, juggling, and a performance of the Count of Champagne (Comte de Champagne) and his companion, Princess Blanchede of Castile ( The romantic saga of the Count of Champagne and his companion, the Princess of Castile (Blanchede Castille), takes the audience back to the thrills of the Middle Ages. After the show, visitors can meet the cast and get up close and personal with the knight's mount, the White Horse.
Performance time: April 1-July 7 15h45 (weekend), 14h30 (weekday); July 8-September 1 15h45 (weekend), 15h (weekday); September 2-September 30 15h45 (weekend), 14h30 (weekday); October 1-November 5 15h45 (weekend)
Performance Duration: 45 minutes Tickets: €12 (adults), €8 (children 4-12)
Eagle-taming show
The Proven?al also puts on two daily falcon-taming performances, Les AiglesdesRemparts (The Walled Falcons), where spectators can catch a glimpse of the falcons in action. Falconry has been practiced by our ancestors since 4,000 years ago, reaching its peak in the Middle Ages. Falconry is now included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. At the end of the show, the audience will be able to see hundreds of birds of prey from about 30 different species up close and personal.
Performance times: April 1-June 30 14h30 and 17h (weekends), 14h30h and 16h (weekdays); July 1-August 31 14h30 and 17h (weekends), 14h30h and 16h30 (weekdays); September 1-October 1 14h30 and 17h (weekends), 14h30h (weekdays. one extra performance on Wednesday at 16h); October 2-November 5 14h30 and 15h45 (weekends), 14h30h (weekdays)
Performance length: 50 minutes
Ticket prices: €12 (adults), €8 (children 4-12)
Medieval Festival
Each year, Provan hosts the "Medieval Festival" attracts lovers of medieval culture. Last year, ***80,000 visitors participated in this festival. This year's 34th Medieval Festival, themed "The Light and Color of the Middle Ages," will take visitors back to the hustle and bustle of the Champagne bazaars of the 12th and 13th centuries.
When: June 24 and 25
Tickets: €11 for a one-day ticket, €15 for a two-day ticket; €5 for a one-day ticket, €6 for a two-day ticket if dressed in medieval costume; under-12s free.
Museum of Cluny: the mysterious charm of beauty and unicorns
The National Medieval Museum of Paris, the MuséedeCluny, was the residence of the clergy of the Cluny Hermitage of Burgundy who came to teach at the College of Cluny in Paris in the 13th century, and housed the Papal Nuncio from the 17th century to the French Revolution until it was established as a medieval museum in 1843. In 1843, it was established as a medieval museum. Interestingly, this medieval museum was built on the site of the Roman hammam, and the building itself is a rare historical monument.
The museum has a large collection of medieval cultural heritage and is a favorite place to learn about daily life in the Middle Ages. In particular, the six large tapestries, "la Dameàlalicorne" (The Woman and the Unicorn), are a real treasure. Woven around 1500, five of the six tapestries symbolize each of the five human senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight. The sixth piece, and the most mysterious of them all, is believed to symbolize the sixth sense, but what exactly is the sixth sense has been interpreted in many different ways by historians. Some researchers interpret it as "free will," symbolizing the decision of the fair beauty to abandon worldly pleasures. The mystical meaning of the tapestry aside, the tapestry itself exudes a sense of quiet beauty. The tapestry is covered with exotic flowers and plants, as well as all kinds of animals, just like the Garden of Eden, exquisite and incomparable. Unicorns and beautiful women with meaningful expressions can always trigger the admirer's meditation.
Address: 6PlacePaulPainlevé,75005Paris
Tickets: €8, €6 (concessions)
City of Science and Industry, Paris: Discover the "newness" of the Middle Ages
In an effort to break down the stereotypes that have been built up in the Middle Ages, the Cité des Sciences et des Industries in Paris has been created in order to provide a unique opportunity for the public to discover the history of the Middle Ages and the history of the city. In order to break down stereotypes about the Middle Ages, the Cité dessciences et del'industrie à Paris is organizing the exhibition "What's New in the Middle Ages?" (QuoideneufauMoyen.ge?) presents a "real" Middle Ages that is neither gray nor monotonous.
The first part of the exhibition gives visitors an overview of the key historical moments of the Middle Ages. Walking through a white arcade, a large picture gives the visitor a general impression of the Middle Ages. This is followed by the centerpiece of the exhibition, "What's New in the Middle Ages," which shows the richness of the Middle Ages in terms of innovation and technology, as well as all aspects of society. The exhibition is not organized chronologically, but is divided into six culturally diverse sections: Where the People Came From, Everyday Life in the Countryside, Resources of the Landscape, The Elite, Traveling Exchanges, and The City as It Was. Visitors can discover unexpected "new things" about the Middle Ages, such as 5th-century crafts, revolutionary burial techniques, excavation technology, the development of the city and the countryside, medieval democracy, cavalry technology, and medieval architecture. Numerous interactive games make the tour lively and interesting. Away from religion and kingship, the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie rekindles interest in medieval culture from a new and different angle.
Practical information
Address: Citédessciencesetdel'industrie-30,avenueCorentin-Cariou-75019Paris
Opening hours: 10h-18h Tue-Sat; 10h-19h Sun
Ticket prices : €12; reduced price €9
Exhibition deadline: August 6, 2017
Link: exploring medieval gastronomy
The concept of medieval food cuisine is often vague and accompanied by many false impressions. In fact, since the Middle Ages, people have begun to emphasize the freshness of food and strict control of cooking, and practiced special diets to fight diseases.
According to the French magazine LePoint, from the 13th century onwards, people began to pay attention to public **** hygiene and health issues. This first affected people's daily diets. People began to eat completely new types of vegetables, such as spinach; cane sugar from Spain, Sicily and Cyprus also entered the cuisine. Finally, the Middle Ages also saw the birth of a new type of "literature": the cookbook. Although, at the time, cookbooks were simply collections of recipes to help the king's royal chef memorize them.
By the 19th century, it was envisioned that the Middle Ages had its share of lovers of stale meat flavors. The truth, however, was that under the daily supervision of municipal authorities, the meat and fish sold in the markets were perfectly fresh. In the summer, unsold meat needed to be discarded or burned every two days, and in the winter, every three to four days. The sale of medicines was also strictly controlled: around the 14th century, all medicines synthesized by apothecaries had to be labeled with an expiration date.
Medieval cuisine has always been described as uniform, greasy, gritty and harshly spiced. In fact, medieval people preferred a sauce made from vinegar or wine and fine spices and thickened with a breadcrumbs to a sauce made from flour and butter. The most famous "green sauce" of the time consisted of bread, sour grape juice, parsley, ginger and vinegar. In the Middle Ages, people preferred a slightly bitter, sweet and sour taste (mainly sour grape juice and vinegar).
Meat in the Middle Ages was prepared in a digestive way, by blanching it in boiling water before roasting. In addition, people reduced fat by grilling.
Doctors were also increasingly involved in diets. People began to follow special dietary regimes, such as those for pregnant women, travelers, the elderly, or the obese, especially since obesity was prevalent among overnourished aristocrats and lovers of exotic fruits and sweets. In order to combat obesity, a morally reprehensible disease, doctors would treat their patients with extremely harsh dietary methods, such as eating only one meal in two days, forbidding the consumption of all fattening foods, such as butter, honey, starchy foods, wheat gruel, walnuts, etc., and requiring the patient to perform exercises, such as walks after meals, bathing, and saunas in hot sand pits by the seaside, or even invasive treatments, such as massages , applying ointments, or using skin spot cauterization (pointesdefeu).