Bendery, July, 20. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. For the first time in Pridnestrovie, a medieval festival of the historical battle Sword of Genoa was held in Bendery Fortress. About fifty fighters from historical fencing clubs from Pridnestrovie, Moldova and Ukraine took part in it.
The event began with a grand opening and teams parade of knight clubs.
The first nomination in which the participants fought was the Bugurt duel. Bugurt is a battle in which two groups of knights armed with blunt weapons fight against each other. According to the results of the competition, the representatives of the teams from Odessa and Chisinau won.
The next nomination was Shield-and-Sword duel fights. There were two people on the tilting yard, each holding a one-handed blade in one hand and a shield in the other. According to the rules of the competition, one of the participants should have scored 10 points. Two points were awarded for a hit in the head and one point - in the limbs. By the way, today's competition was a qualifying round. Tomorrow there will be held semifinal and final games.
In the Middle Ages, knighthood was the prerogative of men. While the ladies, sitting in the stands, sighed languidly and watched the battles in the square. But today there was no such thing. Today, women were full participants in the tournament and fought with men on an equal footing.
In the photo, there is Alexandra from the Odessa club Tangar. When asked which festival it is in her life, the girl smiles and replies: “Honestly, I don’t remember, I’ve already lost the count.” Alexandra has been fencing for three years. By the way, for this, as it seems, a short period of time, the girl managed to take part in the world festival Battle of the Nations twice.
“A few years ago I decided that it was worth playing sports. I have always been attracted to the aesthetics of such battles, so I decided to choose fencing. Nowadays, the fact that girls are engaged in a similar sport is becoming less and less surprising. Here the main thing is not sex, but experience. It is a decisive factor,” Sasha said.
If one of the spectators got tired of watching the battles, then they could go to the tents with a portable trade and have a snack. Not far from the tilting yard there was a shooting gallery, where anyone had a chance to shoot. And next to the shooting gallery there was a real forge of the master, in which he forged horseshoes and various things right in front of a live audience.
“In my job I do not face any difficulties. When a person loves what he does, he can find the energy somewhere inside. All this construction is collapsible and similar to the one used in the Middle Ages. Of course, comparing with current technologies, it is harder to forge, but at the same time, the whole process is felt quite differently,” blacksmith Alexander Alyokhin shared his impressions about the work.
In addition to the knights, the cadets of the Tiraspol Suvorov Military School demonstrated their combat skills. The boys threw sapper shovels, axes, showed melee combat and fight on the poles.
“3 by 3” battles and professional fights were two more nominations, in which the knights took part. In the “3 by 3” battles, the victory was given to the one who was able to knock down the opponent on the ground. Professional fights were one-by-one. It consisted of two rounds, two minutes each.
The first festival day ended with a concert by the Imperia rock group from Zaporozhye and a salute. Hits of different epochs of such popular groups as Scorpions, Aria, Queen and others sounded from the stage.
The festival will continue on Sunday in the same place at 1 pm. The Buckler-Sword battle, the final of Shield-and-Sword, as well as professional fights and battles "3 by 3" will be performed.
