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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sturmkatze on March 10, 2013, 01:21:49 AM

Title: What is reenacting/
Post by: Sturmkatze on March 10, 2013, 01:21:49 AM
Reenacting is not a recent innovation
Revolutionary War reenactments were staged in commemoration of the U.S. Centennial in 1876 and numerous Civil War reenactments were staged for (and in some cases, by...) veterans around the turn of the century. The only major change in the philosophy of reenacting over this course of time has been the shift in emphasis away from spectacle and towards historical accuracy. This new emphasis was also the catalyst for the development of ?Living History.? Unlike reenactments, living history programs are not centered around mock combat; the main purpose of living history is education.

Historical accuracy and safety are indeed the most important aspects of modern reenacting. The majority of today?s participants have a devout interest in the historical periods which they portray, and they work hard to recreate soldiers of yesterday as realistically as possible. To re-create these soldiers correctly, requires diligence and a lot of research. Safety is especially vital since various items are used to simulate the weapons of an actual battle.