Renaissance Festival

     The Renaissance was the epoch in Europe when people started thinking for themselves again. The people thought a little like the ancient Greeks and that’s why the epoch was called ‘Renaissance’ or rebirth.
In the United States, where they never had the time period known as The Middle Ages, they didn’t have a Renaissance, so every year the State of Michigan has a renaissance festival. To celebrate this event, they built a village called Hollygrove. Most of the year it’s a ghost village but in fall, from august through October, hundreds and thousands of people come to visit Hollygrove. The people who work in the village for the festival dress up like they did in Europe in the 17th century and they speak like in olden times. My host sister and I work in the village of Hollygrove as volunteers.

A day in Hollygrove

     Every morning around half past nine, the "Queen of England" rides her horse through the crowd that waits in front of the gates. She speaks to the Duke and the Duchess of Hollygrove and makes sure that everything is alright and that the gypsies, pirates and her brother are not around (which they are, they are hidden in the crowd and they make everyone know that they are there).
     When the canon blows, the gates open and everyone goes inside. In the village are hundreds of shops where you can buy anything from clothes in Renaissance style, henna tattoos, face painting, swords and turkey legs or for breakfast you can go to the bakery. It is the perfect place. While you enjoy your bagel and coffee you can visit a show on one of the stages or go on a pony ride.
     At twelve thirty, the parade starts at the joust field and turns a tour through Hollygrove. When the Queen’s parade returns to the joust field at one o’clock, the joust begins.
Four knights are challengers in different disciplines on horses and ground. They have to get rings with their lances and they have to knock their opponent off their horse as they fight with swords. Each knight has a section of the visitors in the stands who cheer them. When the joust is over and you are hungry you can buy a turkey leg or a soup in a bread bowl or a hamburger and much more.
     At two o’clock the Washing Wenches or the Zucchini Brothers are a place to visit if you want to have some entertainment. For the girls, there is a shop with fairy dust, glitter and sparkles to make you happy. If your man does not want to have some sparkles, he can have a look at the swords next door.
     Around three thirty the Highlander’s have their presentation on the joust field. They show the tactics the Highlanders used in the Royal Army to defeat their enemies and how many knifes they could hide on their body. I counted sixteen.
     At five o’clock there is another joust for all the people who missed the first one. But this time it’s not the Queen, but her brother whom the knights fight for. It’s time to leave soon so if you don’t have a souvenir of your day in Hollygrove, go to the shop at the entrance and buy a Renaissance shirt, a mug, cup, goblet, stein or tankard.
     At six o’clock, all the village people from Hollygrove meet outside the gate to say goodbye to every single visitor who leaves the festival. They shout out the names while the visitor goes through an alley of people to leave. When the Queen comes to the gate at six thirty, all the people sing a song together and they thank the visitors and the crew for a wonderful festival day and they wish each other a safe travel home.

Svenja