Oyster Fayre

On the 10th and 11th of June Colchester Castle Park hosted the Oyster Fayre: the biggest medieval Fayre and market in the East of England. I first saw adverts for the event the previous weekend, so I thought I’d check it out for a couple of hours before watching England’s first game in the 2006 World Cup. As with almost any event in Britain, the entrance fee was much more than at home: £5 (Equivalent of $10 CND), but I have become accustomed to pay for these large fees without much complaining anymore. All over the Fayre people were dressed in 14th to 16th Century garb, selling history books, crafts and food that were of the period. I didn’t see any tacky plastic helmets and swords, rather you could buy a hand-made long bow along with handmade arrows made from real turkey feathers. Also available were linens, leather drinking vessels, historic coins, dried fruit, smoked meat, herbs, soaps, furs, period style clothing and woodwork made from period tools. There were also mummers (story tellers), puppet shows, musicians, a falconry show, a long bow competition, and even a display of armed combat with demonstrations of weapons and fighting skills. They used authentic weapons in their jousting and they didn’t hold back at all. It was not staged or rehearsed, as one guy even got cut over the eye. It was fascinating, and I totally missed the game. In fact, since it was the biggest medieval fayre in the East, I forked over another 5 quid to return on Sunday. Aside from the history factor that we would not be able to get in Canada, I really enjoyed talking to the artisans and presenters. For these some people, these fayres and medieval events were a major parts of their lives. I talked to one couple who shared in some of the insights of the community of the fayre participants. (They even have their own “secret” handshake!) I also leaned a lot about their trades, and their passion to keep the history alive. I also found that when they found I was a teacher, all of them had an opinion of the profession and the state of England’s youth. I must have spent over 8 hours at the fayre over the two days.
During the week, I have also kept my eye on some of the world cup games. I am cheering for England first, Germany second, but I am a little nervous how the matches and results will affect the English public, especially my students. Though I did not see England’s first game (they won 1-0 against Paraguay), I did see some of the aftermath with drunk revellers causing damage in the park and fans of the same team screaming at each other in the streets, arguing about something about the game. I think it’s interesting that the first anti-social behaviour during the World Cup in Germany were committed by two British men. England played on Thursday, a couple hours after the end of school. Many students were very disruptive throughout the whole day, running through the corridors and interrupting other lessons, proclaiming their support to England’s football team. I wonder how it is going to be in the quarter finals and finals…

Shalom
Kevin

P.S. I am very excited that my counter has passed the 1000 hits mark. I only set up the counter in December!