Medieval party goes co-ed.

Once every three years the Munsterhof outside Zurich's Fraumunster church is transported back to the Middle Ages but as Swiss News discovers it's not all medieval fun and frolic. Under the surface, an old-fashioned battle of the sexes is taking place.

Under a glaring sun, a man in a leather jerkin takes a nap on a curious-looking chair shaped like an "X". Nearby, half a dozen metal gauntlets glitter on bales of straw next to an arsenal of spears. Young girls in long tunics rush past men roasting legs of lamb and frying onions in a huge cast-iron frying pan. Women in full linen dresses, hair tucked neatly under a cap, offer clay glasses of cool apple juice to passers-by.

The noise of squawking hens accompanies the general bustle of visitors, who stop to inspect the wares of various stalls. The spoon-maker hawks his delicately carved utensils--from tiny jam spoons the length of a thumb to immense ladles designed to facilitate the feeding of the five thousand. A glass-blower, a soap-maker, a weaver, a spinner, blacksmiths and shoemakers busy themselves, surrounded by the paraphernalia of their trades.

These were some of the scenes greeting visitors to this year's Mittelalter Spectaculum or Medieval Spectacular on the square outside Fraumunster church on the last weekend in May.

Medieval hostess

One woman stands out from the crowd; dressed in a fine tunic, trimmed with fur and brocade, her cream veil flutters as she welcomes passers-by. She is Jeannette Derrer, vice-president of the Gesellschaft zu Fraumunster or Fraumunster Society, which organises the triennial event.

"I'm dressed as a noblewoman from medieval Zurich--I'm wearing a blue dress with long narrow sleeves, with a green tunic over it," Derrer explains.

The 'Fraumunster' is one of Zurich's newest guilds and the only female one. The three-day event was more than a year in the making, with the female guild's members working long and hard.

"Most of our sponsors are private but we did get some assistance from Zurich's Cultural Fund: it costs a five-figure sum to organise something like this," Derrer says. "We would be happy to make a little profit, so that it would be easier for next time but we are content if we break even."

History lesson

But why bother sending Zurich back into the Middle Ages? "It brings another time dimension to the city; for us it is important because our society has its roots in this part of history and we want to show this," Derrer says.

The guild itself is not an ancient association, having been established in 1988 with a dual purpose--to highlight the decisive role women played in shaping local history and to provide a network for its members. Its name is taken from the Fraumunster Abbey which once stood on the site of the current-day Fraumunster church--now famous for the stained glass panels created by artist Marc Chagall.

King Ludwig the German founded the Abbey in 853 and gave it to his daughter, Hildegard. The gift included large tracts of land and special immunity, which gave the Abbey its own legal status.

Aristocratic women populated the convent. They lived according to Benedictine rules but had the right to leave and to marry For many centuries, until the Abbey was disbanded in 1524, its abbesses were known as imperial princesses. As defacto rulers of Zurich, they exercised many sovereign rights over the city, such as issuing coins.

Today. the society's 50-odd members are organised in a hierarchy resembling that of the convent. The president is known as 'Hohe Frau' or High Lady, her vice-president as prioress and novices as oblates. The latter originally referred to lay people, who wished to devote themselves to God without becoming nuns.

In the modern day, these are women who wish to join the society but who are unable to commit themselves fully. While the majority are Swiss, there is also room for non-Swiss individuals; all are required to have a longstanding connection with Zurich.

Battle of the sexes

While the Fraumunster abbesses were a force to be reckoned with at the height of their power, today's society has struggled to be recognised by the older guilds, whose membership is almost exclusively male. Many of these traditional associations were founded in the Middle Ages and represented various trades. They flourished until the 19th century when they lost their economic clout. Newer guilds were established around this time, representing Zurich's villages and districts.

"The guilds argue that we are not a traditional guild like them but that is not a strong argument, especially as the 'traditional guilds' moved away from representing trades in the 1800s," Derrer explains.

Sticking point 

One sticking point is Zurich's annual Sechselauten parade, when the traditional guilds take to the streets each April. Until two years ago, the Fraumunster ladies were kept out of the procession. However, in 2003, the two factions reached a compromise. Since then, the Fraumunster can parade along the original route taken by the other guilds, just not at the same time.

"Ideally, we would like to march alongside the other guilds but negotiations are still going on," Derrer says. The Medieval Spectacular itself, offers further evidence of improved relations between the Fraumunster and other guilds; this year, a handful of traditional male guilds are taking part for the first time, men plying their trades next to the women who organise the event.

"It's a show of solidarity--the men like what we are doing here and we are very pleased they are taking part," Derrer says.

Solidarity

The improved atmosphere is something that the Sechselauten committee attests to. "The guilds of Zurich city and the Fraumunster Society are in regular contact--the relationship is no longer charged with emotion and is one of mutual respect and understanding," says spokesman Andreas Weidmann.

So, why was it that the Fraumunster could not march alongside the other guilds? Weidmann gives a number of reasons:

"One principle question is whether any further guilds should be allowed to participate; then there is the basic theme of whether women can join a guild," he says. Derrer says her guild is not demanding that women be allowed to sign up for the other guilds. "It's all right that the male guilds don't accept female members--we don't allow men to join us either!"

As to whether the Fraumunster would be parading alongside the older guilds in 2006. Weidmann declines to say. "The Fraumunster Society will be marching along the original route during the Sechselauten next year--it has not been decided in which form Changes require time and the Fraumunster have come to understand that too."

For her part, Derrer remains optimistic. "We will never give up hope. Whether we will be able to take part in the main procession next year or the year after, I don't know because I am not a clairvoyant. But we're working on it," she promises.