WELCOME into the wonderful world of the Society of Creative Anachronism
Society: meaning, meeting new friends from near and far away
Creative: you will learn stuff, either how to fight, or how to cook, or how to make art
Anachronism: Feasting, sat between a Viking warrior, and a Tudor noble, opposite of someone in magnificent Landsknecht garb (yes, look it up!)
On a rather random day, somewhere in June 2017, a friend of mine let me know that he is going to an event from a group called SCA and invited me and my family to come join (« we still have a few places left »).
We had No Idea Whatsoever what we got ourselves into (« just try and dress somewhat Medieval-ish »), but what a lovely surprise we had when we discovered this lovely old abbey in the Belgian Ardennes.
The moment we arrived, we got welcomed by a Friendly American guy who immediately took us by the arm and gave us a tour around the abbey (it was hilarious because the American guy gave us a guided tour in our own country). But he was so incredibly welcoming and lent my husband a BEAUTIFUL tunic for the weekend.
He introduced us to several people and there I first met the members of Trivium, the Belgian SCA shire.
Since I am not a very shy person, it didn't take me long to get to talk to people and everyone was very welcoming.
BUT... the downside of first getting into contact with the SCA on an actual event is this:
You have no idea what to expect and what Not to expect. A lot of people I know (including myself of course) suffer a bit of anxiety, either socially or more « what to pack, what to wear, what to do »...
So I would like to help other newbies to prepare a bit better.
*(Note: I absolutely mean no disrespect or ungratefulness for the people who were there to welcome us, as a matter of fact, my co-shire members are several of my current best friends, I love them to bits and they know it, Friendships build in the SCA are GOLDEN)*
So I am going to start off with what NOT to expect;
- SCA is a hobby, a way of spending free time with people who think like you and are interested in living history but it is NOT any form of religious or spiritual community, as a matter of fact, the SCA is fairly religion neutral.
- SCA is Not reenacting. You can wear modern glasses, you are allowed a cellphone to make cool selfies. If you have troubles buying expensive fabrics, you can use thrift-store materials, or you can ask other members to help you make or by borrowing garb. (be sure to be respectful because lots of SCA Garb is handmade and took many working hours)
- SCA is NOT a dating group. Not to say that no one ever met the love of their life within the SCA, of course; Just letting you know that most people go in with the idea of learning skills and gathering knowledge. Dating is not a priority.
What you CAN expect:
- a massive source of knowledge about history. You can do your own researches, and when you want to share it in any form of lecture, workshops,blogs,... this is Highly appreciated and applauded
- a very warm, inclusive family friendly society, where everyone is equal and respected.
- building worldwide friendships
- on average, most SCA weekend-events within Drachenwald, can cost about 45,- € per person, this includes a bed and several meals, lectures and/or workshops. (This may vary depending on the actual event)
- On these events you can see friends you made on earlier events, and meet new friends, learn new things, have great fun (yes, believe me, SCA events are awesome!)
- You do not have to become an official SCA member right away, you don't have to be at all, you can enjoy events as a Non-SCA member, you DO help the SCA as a whole by becoming a member but this is something you have more than time enough to consider
- another positive thing I remark is that there are SCAdians All over the world and, depending of course on how easily you make new contacts, this means that, wherever you go, on a SCA event, or 'Mundane' (the NORMAL world haha) occasion, there might always be a SCAdian friend who would like to spend some time together whenever you are in their area.
Things that might be scary but are in fact not to worry about :
Garb - the clothing you wear on these events:
When you wear normal (Mundane) clothing, you are considered to be ‘naked’ so « Go Cover yerself in some decent clothing !! »
You will always find someone who leads you to your first event, ASK THEM about garb! Do you know your way around a sewing machine? Awesome! There are several great guides on how to make medieval tunics.
If you do NOT know how to sew, someone is likely to lend you something, or ask about "Gold Key" (loaner garb that a group may have which you can borrow for events).
What can you do :
- Do you know how to do any kind of handcraft ? If it is portable, bring it with you.
If you are shy, this will be an easier way to slide into conversations. Someone likely will come to see what you are doing and There, you made a first friend!?
- If you are less shy and/or like to help with cooking, you can look around, find the kitchen and ask if you can be of any help (they mostly will like to see volunteers).
If you want to learn, you can look around and stop to talk to others who are doing something crafty. Most people are proud of what they do so they gladly talk to you about it. There are several very crafty people who can tell you about the endless possibilities of Period Arts , Crafts, Skills ,...
-If A&S (Arts & Science) is not your cup of tea but you're only here for the fights, you can see if there is a fight, lesson, demo, training... happening at the moment. Please Do stay on a safe distance and wait until the fighters take off their helmets and stop their battle before you ask them anything. They might be a bit tired but if they can’t/don't want to talk to you at that very moment, they will tell you when to come and find them or they will come find you. Again, many of them will LOVE to talk to you (then or later),
- If you have children, you can easily spot other children and have a talk with their parents. SCA parents tend to hang around together since the children usually run around wild and free together as well on these events (usually the terrain is closed or at least marked in some way). Also: the older children naturally keep an eye out for the younger ones. You as a parent are still, of course 100% responsible for your own offspring, but because of the family-like nature of these events, everyone keeps an eye out for each other.
-also: chocolates and any other form of food and drinks are a great way to « bribe » people to come talk to you ?
If you still find yourself a bit lost at your first event, Do Not Worry. Stay calm, breathe in and out.
I am pretty sure someone will notice you, and invite you to sit with them. SCA is a very generous group of people and lately we are working on the welcoming of new people. Some of them have been in the SCA for many many MANY years (some claim to be straight from the medieval times) and may have forgotten how it is to be New. It doesn't mean they are not happy to see you.
So in their name, from the whole of the SCA and from myself:
Welcome, and may your SCA adventures be lovely, full of friendship and laughter, and plenty of them!
Yours in Service
Hiltrude von Trivium
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