Full-contact with swords

Transcarpathia, a region of Ukraine where there are the most of the medieval castles, finally has a festival of historical reconstruction. However, at the event "Silver Tatosh" they do not actually insist on reconstruction because they do not fully follow the requirements of the possible compliance with the period, which is represented by participants, or reproduction of its attributes in detail. Thus, the event has been called the festival of medieval culture. St.Miklosh, which is the center of interesting events (the first castle in Ukraine, being rented by a private person) has long been waiting for it. And now in the courtyard of the castle the tilt-yard and the stage have been constructed, slightly sideways there is a bivouac with tents and the kitchen, one may hear the sound of armor and bright dresses of ladies accompanying the Knights catch everyone’s eye…
 

Joseph Bartosh, who has long been involved in the transformation of the castle into the cultural and artistic center, is not hiding the satisfaction from the fact that the holiday is taking place. Wearing costumes, reminiscent of the times of Ferenc Rákóczi II, he and his wife Tatiana are meeting knights and beautiful ladies – guests of the palace – Hungarians, Slovaks, and representatives of reconstruction clubs from several regions of Ukraine: Lviv, Odessa, Kiev, Vinnitsa …

The nights of “DZH Alliance” (one of the strongest in the Ukraine), which brings together the clubs of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia and Kharkiv have arrived too. Its representatives have been taking part in international competitions for many years, these are very good fighters who win in duels. Hungarian and Slovak guests are more focused on action, like a theatre performance, while Ukrainians are aimed on full contact fighting" says one of the founders of Uzhgorod medieval reconstruction club “The Sword of Orion” Yuri Kochut. He has just come down from the tilt-yard, where during the day viewers can appreciate the artfulness of knights both in combat and in group battles – Bogurt.
 

"I want this event – knight fighting – to reach a level of world sports like basketball, handball, football, and it would be nice if it was included in the Olympic Games. It is an alternative to "gladiator fights"- only a humane one"- said Yura. At the same time he adds -"The sport is very traumatic – countless scratches and bruises, sections and fractures also happen. However, such regrettable incidents occur only when a fighter does not consider the defense thoroughly…
By the way, he made a suit of armor for himself, referring to the Italian chivalry of mid XV century – "According to our research, it is in some way corresponds to our region, to the armor, which existed here", he shows on his body a copy of "the Milan defense" of the year 1450. As a whole the armor weighs over 20 kilograms since it is "lightweight". Meanwhile, near the "arena" there are a lot of helmets on top of the swords, chain mail and shields – to escape the heat and fatigue, knights are taking off the metal in order to get some rest… In general, the courtyard is a rather a bizarre scene: men wearing modern clothes who are trying on the medieval things, women in long lace-up dresses with mobile phones and cameras, the presenter, wearing a jacket, is introducing into the microphone a band playing old instruments… Somewhat strange, noisy and bright…
 

… And it seems that is what the host prefers: "Today, Chynadievo castle has already reached the point to which we have been going for so long – it is a cultural, artistic and tourist center. And now it’s also a place hosting such a festival – the first one in Transcarpathia. 40 members have arrived, among them: knights, their fair ladies, a band that will perform for us, musical groups, and girls who will show author outfits. The festival is not only about fighting, but also various workshops: medieval cuisine, carpentry, weapons mastering – archery and crossbow … Well, and training how to treat a lady of the heart"- smiles Joseph.

Participants, taking rest after the fight, say, the place is well chosen, and with time the festival in Chinadievo may have its own "legend" that will attract visitors from everywhere. As for the name "Silver Tatosh", Yury Guledza, a founder of the Mukachevo Club “Yeremey” and one of the initiators of the festival, said: “Tatosh is a legendary horse from Transcarpathian tales, which helped his owner to fight enemies, and the famous "hero on Tatosh" is a knight Brynda from Bronkivskiy castle. The horse itself is a strange creature: it was three-legged and in order to confuse the enemy, it was shod with his shoes in reverse…
All the subtleties of medieval culture in modern Zakarpattya are in the photos by Jozheph Kish.