The medieval period in the Algarve is associated with battles between Moors and Christians, but it was much more than that, mainly on a cultural and artistic level. It is an experience in this less warlike and more «romantic and sensual» reality that the Medieval Fair of Silves, which begins today, proposes this year.
Starting this afternoon, Silves will travel back in time. It's been like that for twelve years, every time a Medieval Fair starts in the historic area of the city. The euro is no longer the official currency and is replaced by the xlb, beggars, healers, knights and witches once again occupy the streets around the castle, which for centuries welcomed Christian and Moorish lords.
Rosa Palma, mayor of Silves, in an interview with Rua FM/Sul Informação, he explained that "every year there is care to have a true and historical portrait and, this year, we bet on a more artistic and cultural aspect, in which we seek to create a mystical, sensual, romantic environment, and not only what the people are used to fighting and fighting”.
To bring people to «a different experience, closer to what was lived at that time in cultural and artistic terms at court», a historical portrait was made by Professor Adalberto Alves, one of the greatest specialists in Islamic culture at national level.
According to Pedro Garcia, Head of the Division of Culture, Tourism and Heritage at the Chamber of Silves, «everything that will happen at the event has to obey the historical period and what we want to portray. War episodes is the most commonplace in historical recreations, it is what we find from North to South of the country, whether it is struggles between Christians and Arabs, or between Portuguese and Spaniards».
“As this market for historical recreations is increasingly competitive, we have always tried to innovate. We chose to contact Adalberto Alves, as an expert, in order to start a collaboration for this cultural context, which he knows so well, and his work went beyond what we intended, as he also elaborated dialogues of the recreations, at the level of dramatizations to the throughout the fair. Therefore, we will be a little above what we have been in recent years», added Pedro Garcia.
Those who repeat at the Medieval Fair of Silves know that they can be part of history dressed according to the character they want to embody, but there are those who opt for a more in-depth “dive into the era”, with the Medieval Experience option.
«It is a project that we have been developing, with contacts with accommodation units and travel agencies. It is a possibility to see the fair with permanent monitoring. The person dresses up, attends all the shows, has a banquet, with reserved places, as if he were royalty. Even in the tournament, he goes to the rostrum and the knights can dedicate their fights to the ladies», exemplified Pedro Garcia.
The Medieval Fair has an estimated cost of 200 thousand euros, but the event pays for itself, according to the mayor of Silves. «The income and expenses remain for her. What is intended, as we are not talking about a for-profit company, is that the amount that is invested is repaid and, at that level, we are doing well. We want the dynamic generated by the fair to give life to traders, communities and to involve people», concluded the mayor.
The Medieval Fair of Silves is open today from 18:00. The program of historical recreations and the site map can be consulted here.
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