Why are the Middle Ages called the "Dark Ages"? Was it really as scary as in the movies? Historian Stefania Demchuk convinces that this is not the case, and tells how people actually lived during this period. In her book, she reveals the secrets of medieval life: what they ate and drank, how they raised children, what they feared and how they celebrated holidays.

Why did the myth of the Dark Ages arise? Did children really drink alcohol then, and what was the educational practice? What secrets did people reveal at confession? How were you treated and what did your hair care look like?

The historian describes all this and much more in her book, bringing to life the people of the Middle Ages and telling about this period without myths and taboos.

Stefania Demchuk is a historian, Candidate of Historical Sciences, who works as an assistant at the Department of Art History of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University.

She is the co-founder of the scientific and educational project "Symbolon. Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies", which popularizes medieval and early modern studies in Ukraine. Author of the book "From beaver to pheasant. Food of the Western European Middle Ages."