Medieval Festa, Silves, Portugal

Medieval Festa Silves

We enjoyed Marin’s Renaissance Pleasure Fair for many years at its’ various venues around the county. In the Algarve we have an annual festival taking place in a real medieval village, Silves, with its’ fabulous ninth-century Moorish fortress that has survived: wars, losing battles to Richard the Lion-heart’s Crusaders and countless centuries of earthquakes, fires and weather. It is about as far to Silves from our home in Ferragudo as it is from Novato to Petaluma, an easy 15-minute drive.

The fair features various re-enactments of the transition from Moorish to Christian dominance in the 12th century as it actually happened here in Slves. The fair goes on for 10 days- August 2-11th this year, with events each night replaying the early history featuring costumed players- Moors played mostly by Moroccans who travel here as merchants and actors for the duration of the fair. Portuguese players and a few British expats act as Crusaders and citizens of Christian Silves.

Hundreds of costumed attendees wander the streets, staff the many booths and provide color for the spirit of the event. It is a major production with the entire town taking on the vestments of 12th century southern Portugal. Thousands from all over Europe attend each night enjoying what has become a must see event for locals and tourists alike. I hear Arabic, Portuguese, English, Swahili, Dutch, French, German, and more spoken as I wander the cobbled streets among the stalls selling everything from food and drink to clothing, jewelry, ceramics, ancient weaponry, furnishings, Moorish lamps, leather goods, hookas etc.

Silves was the Moorish capitol of the southern province of what is now Portugal and part of Spanish Andalusia for 500 or more years ending in the 12th century. Its’ restaurants, shops, public buildings, mansions and homes stand on the hillside above the Arade River that empties into the Atlantic ten or twelve miles south at Portimao. It was first a Roman settlement as evidenced by the arched-stone Roman bridge, still in use, that spans the river below the Castle. 

Each night the fair begins with a procession of, perhaps, one-hundred costumed and masked players climbing the steep cobbled streets from the river, all the way through town to the Castle atop the hill where the drums and music continue and speeches are made by the medieval dignitaries.

I enjoy the food and drink as well as seeing the exotic merchandise on display, especially in the Moorish stalls. The compelling drum beats of the Arabic drummers and the medieval instruments of the Christian players make for a delightfully different ambience.

My favorite fair event is the jousting, for three euros additional to the two euro fair entry fees, totaling about $6.50. In a wooden stadium with grandstands for about 700 viewers, four knights compete aggressively for the jousting championship on the sand raceway. Each represents a different city in Portugal: Braganza, Coimbra, Algarve and the Black knight from Languedoc, France. These well developed characters: the proudly vain White Knight, the earnest but fallible Gold Knight, the Noble and Heroic Red Knight and the cheating, scurrilous Black Knight compete in three events for the title.

At break-neck speed, each mounted Knight charges a shield mounted on a rotating stand and attempts to spear it with his lance, then capture a small ring suspended on the spinning rack. Winner receives one flag. Sword fights on-foot between 2 knights with winners taking each other on for the next flag. Third is the actual jousting from opposite ends, one knight charges the other fast charging knight and attempts to unseat him with his lance. Winners of each heat take on each other for the championship.

The good Red Knight defeated the brooding, intimidating, cheating Black knight in the final and after a dispute settled by another sword fight, the triumphant Red Knight wins and the King rewards him with the Champion’s flag. The action is fast and furious and played out without actual injury by these skilled Knights.

I was most impressed by the horsemanship. The Black Knight’s prancing horse was particularly adept and beautiful to watch as it responded to its rider perfectly.

The food was medieval, the drinks were medieval, the currency, Xilbs, was medieval, the mugs were medieval all adding to the flavor of this wonderful experience.

Much as I have enjoyed the Renaissance Fair, it is almost magical having a taste of Medieval life in a place where important Medieval events actually happened. The early Renaissance in Southern Europe coincided with the fall of five or six centuries of Moorish occupation, followed by the voyages of discovery led by Portugal a century or so later that opened the rest of the world up to Europe.

We’ll be sure to mark this on our calendars for next year.