What is a Ren Fair?

[ratspike]

IMO one of the best things about faire are the performances. We had a small one for a few years here that wasn't spectacular in most respects, but the music was fabulous. Big events get rad acts like this:


We may not have a big faire here in Portland but we do have Faerieworlds, which is sort of like the lovechild of Burning Man and Ren Faire. I haven't had a chance to go yet but I'm hoping to make it happen in 2017.

[ThistleDown]

There's a BIG difference between the Renaissance Fair of America and Living History events in the UK. The basis for the former is the Elizabethan era with some remarkable exaggerations in time and knowledge. In the end it's simply a costume party with no concern for historical accuracy whatsoever. It should not be thought of as 'Scottish', but it is, of course, because kilts are evident and the kilt is Scottish.



The basis for Living History is to educate the public in special areas and eras of history, such as clothing styles, pastimes and handicrafts, or to simply convey a sense of life in a particular era. The Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore is a good example. https://www.highlifehighland.com/highlandfolkmuseum/

You can't compare the two and to superimpose one on the other is to discredit both.

Nor can you compare 'Highland' games as they are at Aboyne, Newtonmore, Oban, Braemar, with those in Arizona, Northern California, New Hampshire, North Carolina. They may be based on a similar idea, but as they are today they represent two entirely different cultures. I think somewhere back in this messy thread Alan alluded to that significant difference.

[ASinclair]

There's a BIG difference between the Renaissance Fair of America and Living History events in the UK. The basis for the former is the Elizabethan era with some remarkable exaggerations in time and knowledge. In the end it's simply a costume party with no concern for historical accuracy whatsoever. It should not be thought of as 'Scottish', but it is, of course, because kilts are evident and the kilt is Scottish.



The basis for Living History is to educate the public in special areas and eras of history, such as clothing styles, pastimes and handicrafts, or to simply convey a sense of life in a particular era. The Highland Folk Museum at Newtonmore is a good example. https://www.highlifehighland.com/highlandfolkmuseum/

You can't compare the two and to superimpose one on the other is to discredit both.

Nor can you compare 'Highland' games as they are at Aboyne, Newtonmore, Oban, Braemar, with those in Arizona, Northern California, New Hampshire, North Carolina. They may be based on a similar idea, but as they are today they represent two entirely different cultures. I think somewhere back in this messy thread Alan alluded to that significant difference.

The Highland Games I have attended in North Carolina, USA have all included heavy Highland athletics, the caber toss (my favorite), the sheaf toss, etc. What do the 'Highland' games in Scotland have that we do not? Please enlighten me; I really want to know?

[ThistleDown]

Allen, it's more what we DON'T have. Heavy events, piping and dancing competitions, pipe bands, all of that we have, too. Big swords (and little ones) and firearms in some of your places, 'costumes', and marches with tartan banners we don't have. We don't display our Scottish-ness, probably because we are Scots. We do sometimes have tents that tell you who you are visiting -- usually because it's our old homeland you are treading, but we don't try to sell you cast-in-resin coats of arms so everyone will know we are somehow (?) connected; we can't even offer you that coat of arms because it's against our laws to sell anyone else's identity.

We don't have gaggles of men in kilts from various historical eras and/or their own imaginations in the same place at the same time. Sometimes we don't even wear a kilt and still go to our local Games, 'cause sometimes we don't even own a kilt and want to go anyway. If we do own a kilt, we don't wear it just to show off our finery and, most often, don't recognise or comment on how finely dressed (or ill-dressed) someone else is. We don't remark on someone's 'pink' hose and we certainly don't call them 'socks'. In the Highlands we will never wear a Prince Charlie during the day; we don't wear feathers unless we are entitled to them (and we know who is), and we don't wear many, many badges unless we have won them in dancing competitions. We never mix military and civilian, except for a tie and, perhaps, a small lapel pin. And we know that a staff is for walking on the hills or in a river, and not for a level field, except when we are judging tups, seriously lame of leg or we are treading our own estate (read 'ranch')

The big 'but' is that our cultures are different and if the purpose of the day is to enjoy oneself, then who is to say which of us is having more fun? I suspect that you are. We are living our life in Scotland and you, an American, are enjoying a special Scottish day. Celebrate.

[Panache]

There's a BIG difference between the Renaissance Fair of America and Living History events in the UK. The basis for the former is the Elizabethan era with some remarkable exaggerations in time and knowledge. In the end it's simply a costume party with no concern for historical accuracy whatsoever. It should not be thought of as 'Scottish', but it is, of course, because kilts are evident and the kilt is Scottish...

Rex,

Most of the larger games in California have a Living History Section. Quite a number of the groups that come out take History very seriously and see their mission as to bring history to life (especially to young people) I remember one especially wonderful Pleasanton Highland Games where I was able to walk with my family to see a Viking Group, a Roman group, a Jacobite Rebellion group, and two BlackWatch groups (one Revolutionary war/ French Indian War era and one pre WWII group). Each group offered a brief presentation and then let the visitors ask questions and see/touch their period gear. It was like getting a wonderful lesson from these different perspectives and eras about the history of the Highlands and how these pieces all fit together.

There were one other set of groups as well that I steered my kids from....

...The Renaissance Era Scots!

You see, unfortunately the most numerous and largest groups that you get in the Living History are the "Renaissance Era" Scots.
Their biggest problems are that most incorporate Highlanders with the court of Queen Mary and they have created this fanciful version of male highland dress that borrows equally from later 18th Scottish fashion and the Fantasy Role playing games. The excuse is generally "people want to see kilts" and it makes them more visible and interesting.

They are having fun (heck at the Renaissance Faires I go to, I do the same and wear a belted plaid that is something like 20 or 30 years too early for the time) but it is sad that this leads to a rather fanciful version of history when the real story is fascinating in itself.

There are a few groups that try harder to portray everyday highland life (though they are still off by a couple decades in terms of dress) that offer some interesting information about how people made things and spent their time. Those folks are trying and do have some interesting information to share.

Cheers

Jamie

[MacKenzie]

This should give you an idea what a Ren Fair is... http://www.carolina.renfestinfo.com/

Be sure to check out the entertainment overview... http://www.carolina.renfestinfo.com/...nmentoverview/

[Father Bill]

Let's be very careful when we speak of what is done in "North America". The area is vast (compare, for instance to say... Scotland) and the east and west coasts barely know one another, nor does Canada consider itself to be "like" America (which part of America, I don't know!) any more than it is "like" Mexico.

This is a continent of many different cultures and norms.

[John_Carrick]

I always thought that the irony is that Scotland did not impact on the renaissance that much, but became a cultural and intellectual superpower in later centuries.

[ThistleDown]

Rex, Most of the larger games in California have a History Section. Quite a number of the groups that come out take History very seriously and see their mission as to bring history to life (especially to young people) I remember one especially wonderful Pleasanton Highland Games where I was able to walk with my family to see a Viking Group, a Roman group, a Jacobite Rebellion group, and two BlackWatch groups (one Revolutionary war/ French Indian War era and one pre WWII group). Each group offered a brief presentation and then let the visitors ask questions and see/touch their period gear. It was like getting a wonderful lesson from these different perspectives and eras about the history of the Highlands and how these pieces all fit together.

I guess those are other things we don't have, Jamie. Our Highland Games are Highland games, we don't have Viking Groups or Roman Groups. The Jacobite Rebellions were a terribly sad time in the Highlands; we respect the era, the people who lost their lives in it and the enormous change that took place after it was all over and thankfully done with. The April Commemoration at Culloden has that as its purpose, but Highland Games are sort of reserved for Highland games. The Black Watch is the 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 Scots). It has almost 300 years of history and its battles have been fought all over the world. It hesitates to relive any of those, but it does have an exceptional museum.

Cheers.

[EagleJCS]

There are Highland Games and/or Scottish Festivals in the US - at least in my area - that are not Renaissance Fair(e)s (some add the 'e' to the end of the word 'Fair'), but they'll allow any paying person to come in wearing whatever costume they choose (appropriate for the general public, please). Those Games/Festivals focus on celebrating Scottish heritage and culture and thus have the Scottish athletic events, bagpipe bands/contests and the clan societies/associations.

There are Renaissance Fairs that include Scottish athletic events, but their main focus is the costume/fantasy aspect rather than the athletics/heritage displays. The 'playtrons' (player/patron) dress up in whatever fantasy character they choose and develop/portray an appropriate persona to the garb, within reason (stealing, manhandling and other socially unacceptable behaviors are definitely not encouraged). These events are more entertainment than attempts to be accurate.

Then there are some few historical reenactment groups that try to present something close to whatever period they're trying to portray. The fact that the area some of those events are in was likely not populated by persons of European ancestry before say 1700 or so for most of the continental US is anachronistic, but they do make the attempt to be accurate to the period otherwise.