31 May 2025
(Photo: Intent/Oleksiy Kravchuk)
The medieval tournament "Knights of the Southern Banks" began on May 31 in the Botanical Garden of the Odesa National University named after I. Mechnikov.
According to Orina Burak, a member of the Historical Fencing and Reenactment Club and the organizing group, 40 fighters took part in the festival, 15-17 of whom were from Odesa and Odesa region.
"Not all of the fighters are from our club, there are also representatives of friendly clubs - the Order of the Tombstone Temple and the Brotherhood of the Sword. The fighters came from Kyiv, Dnipro and other cities," she noted.
Also, according to Burak, last time when a similar festival was organized, 26 fighters came to Odesa, and this time 45 applied, but five could not get there. So far, the festival organizers have not conducted a general sports standings.
"For now, we are doing it for ourselves," said Orina Burak.
On June 1, fights are planned in the following categories: bakler sword (a small shield) among women, halberd, and group fights among men and, if desired, among women. And if there are enough people willing to participate in professional fights, they will hold them as well. These are sword fights in which, in addition to sword strikes, the opponent's throws are also scored.
In addition to jousting, the festival included a mini-fair and archery range for those who wanted to participate and a children's run where children could fence with soft swords in protective equipment.
A similar festival was held in February 2024.
Earlier, Odesa celebrated the 610th anniversary of the city. An alternative to the official date, which is proposed as the City Day. The fact is that currently, the City Day is celebrated on September 2, and it is believed that the city is just over 200 years old. This date was allegedly determined by Catherine II's rescript on the foundation of the city and port. However, historians question this theory, as there is no document on the founding of the city, and the rescript refers to the foundation of the port. Meanwhile, the city of Khadzhibey existed on this site at the time, and was mentioned in ancient documents as early as May 19, 1415, under the name Kotsyubiyev. One of the events of this celebration was the art festival "Odesa - 610".
Кирило Бойко