The Medieval Fair held in April of this year in the city of Elda surprised us with its size and the range of activities it offered. Although, it is also true that we have never visited this city's medieval fair in its previous editions. Until now, we have only visited similar fairs in other towns, and I posted about those back in time, but this seems to be one of the most important medieval markets in the area.
When we arrived at the streets where the stalls were located, there were only a few people around. It was raining, so it justified the weak attendance. While we waited for the rain to stop, we entered the Tourist Info office; there, we received a commemorative coin minted especially for this event, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this fair. We also took a flyer with the schedule of the events and activities.
Finally, the clouds decided to retain the rain for themselves and let the people enjoy the Medieval Fair. The artisans and vendors at the stalls removed and lifted the tarps they had used to protect their products from the rain, opened all the stalls, and people began to arrive. In large numbers.
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As I also made a large number of photos, I decided to place a few in a collage, so we can continue with the post without being stuck in the crowd. ๐ Well, in some of the photos, people still can be seen, but here I wanted to mention the colourful flags that were hung above the stalls. I loved to see all those bunting as well as the bigger draperies, representing scenes from the past.
These fabrics with printings made the whole experience of strolling around the busy medieval market even more authentic. If you are not sure whether you live in the 21st century or you happened to go back to the Middle Ages, just look up at the sky. Ok, so we are stuck in the past, definitely! ๐
Musicians are there as well. I see just a flute and a kind of violin. Where is the piano? ๐
More photos of decorative flags... I hope you are still around and not too bored. I already deleted a few photos - sometimes it is needed to stay focused and...
...arrive at the part of food products offered in the market. ๐
The first one, cheese - not my favourite. I don't consume a lot of cured cheese; when I started having some migraine episodes many decades ago, I was advised not to take wine or cured cheese as they can make it worse. On the other hand, I do like fresh cheese and I eat it without having health problems.
Sausages - yummy! Sorry, I am not a vegetarian ๐ , and sausages elaborated by artisans are very delicious and different to those you buy in the supermarket. We could also try some types, sliced by the vendors.
Chocolate... ๐คค
Coffee and tea, in cute little metal boxes! It smelled very good around this stall.
I know who will be able to read this: Kรผrtลs kalรกcs. ๐ It was so surreal to see and buy in Spain this Hungarian cake coming from Transylvania. It is a sweet cake, made of yeast dough, which is spun and baked on a baking spit. When it is baked, it is rolled in ground sugar, hazelnuts, nuts, cocoa, coconut, etc. I bought one with nuts. The price was also surreal, hahaha, 6 euros for this cake (it is hollow inside).
A stall full of sweet fruits! Just make a choice, and as this is a medieval market, I could try to find someone to cast a spell and make the chosen one appear through the screens.
Apples dipped in melted sugar are a delicacy that was sold when I was little. I haven't eaten it since then, the solid sugar is very hard, and I want to protect my teeth.
This stall was selling honey and artisan candies, but also, there was a honey frame from a hive, in a glass box, with bees inside. ๐
Many different artisanal items, soaps, and essential oils can't be missed from a market like this one. I remember seeing similar little houses with chimneys in other markets already, but they are always so cute.
These are scented candles and cabinet fragrances in little bags.
Quotes and phrases written on wooden boards can be a nice decoration in homes.
Of course that I also found a little elephant, and a blue one! ๐
Have you ever used kohl? I haven't, although sometimes I look like I have used them. (like natural black around the eyes ๐)
Essential oils - a product that must find its place at an artisan market. I didn't see verbena, for example, but there was a nice offer of lavender, mint, citronella, lemon balm, orange, patchouli, eucalyptus, and tea tree.
Oh my, we just arrived at vestments that were used in the Middle Ages... If you had enough money or were a knight and wanted to fight for a lady, maybe you could dress something like this:
Oh, the lady in the green dress fell asleep from this post ๐
Probably, one would need some weapons too. I imagine that walking around in armour and carrying swords or other bladed weapons was not an easy thing.
Torturing tools... ๐ฎ ok, let's skip this part hahaha
This Medieval Fair had different activities, like music from those times, parades, workshops, also games. To be authentic, these board games were made of wood (there were also huge wooden chess pieces and the chessboard drawn on the ground) and ropes.
Children had fun too in one of the carousels, powered by a person assigned for that. If you made it until here, thank you, and I hope you enjoyed the ride, even if it was not on the carousel but through the stalls of the medieval market.
We can come back to the present now.
Good, my calendar says it is June 3, 2025. :)
