Symbol of the most ancient rural civilization and of the culture of transhumance, the carnival in Basilicata is the expression of the indissoluble bond between the population, the animals and the landscape.
Until February 13, 9 municipalities will reveal their carnival rites, made up of evocative rituals, protected by the 'Network of Lucanian Carnivals with anthropological and cultural value'.
The Network enhances.
promotes and brings together the most representative festivals and historical traditional masks.
The leader of the project is Tricarico, which involved other Lucanian villages, each with its own rite and identity, in a shared journey: Teana with the bear, Satriano with the Rumita, Cirigliano with the seasons, Aliano with the horned masks, San Mauro Forte with the cowbells, Lavello with the Domino, Montescaglioso with two carnivals and Stigliano with the Clown.
The protagonists of all historical carnivals are the natural and animal worlds through the modern reading of archaic myths and legends.
The Tricarico carnival, 'l'mash-kr' in local dialect, is represented by the bull and the cow: the masks wear, respectively, a black headdress decorated with long red ribbons and a wide-brimmed hat covered by a scarf and a veil, both white, decorated with long multicolored ribbons that go down the ankles.
The Teana carnival is characterized by improvisation, instinct and curiosity: it is one of the best known and most followed in Lucania, with the main protagonist being the bear.
The 'trial', a parody of the 'Passion of Jesus', is dedicated to him on the last Saturday of Carnival.
The uniqueness of Satriano is represented by the 'Walking Forest' where trees become men and men become trees, inspired by the mysterious figure of Rumita, a silent soul who represents the spirit of the forest.
The protagonists of the Cirigliano carnival are Pulcinella and the masks of the 4 seasons and 12 months of the year;
the parade starts from the sixteenth-century baronial castle and then winds through the charming streets of the historic center illuminated by the light of torches and cheered by the festiveness of the procession.
Aliano's horned masks evoke demonic and clumsy creatures, whose threatening character is mitigated by the colorful hats that decorate their heads;
the figures wearing them parade through the village moving to the sound of accordions and cupa-cupa, a simple and ancestral musical instrument made from a terracotta vase, a covering of animal skin and a cane stuck in the centre.
During the carnival of San Mauro Forte the cowbells break the quiet of the village with their dark but deafening sound, which propagates along the streets and alleys up to the Norman tower, in a suggestive and mysterious atmosphere.
During the Lavello carnival, people dance until the morning with the Domino, a mask characterized by a long satin tunic.
The Montescaglioso carnival has a double soul: on Shrove Tuesday the 'traditional Carnival' takes place, which sees masked groups parade and ring cowbells, figures full of symbolism;
the Sunday preceding Shrove Tuesday is the turn of the 'Montese Carnival' with the parade of imposing allegorical floats.
The protagonist of the Stigliano carnival, with ancient roots and which has undergone evolutions over time, is the clown mask holding a flask of wine and the cupa-cupa, symbol of the never-broken contact with the past.
The Lucanian carnival cycle, which began last January 13th, involves all the villages in the area, each with its own ancestral rites.
In Pietrapertosa the carnival trial is staged with the procession which, having arrived in the square, will proceed with his condemnation;
and in Trecchina the cupa-cupa brings the rhythm of the rhymes of the 'Contacronze', dressed in a dark hat and a shepherd's jacket.
The procession takes place in the alleys of Pomarico with Pulcinella and his wife Zeza as protagonists, who is accompanied by the singing of a song with unseemly tones.
In Accettura cowbells, bagpipes and ciaramelle accompany the feast of San Antuono;
in Armento the carnival pyre is staged and in Picerno a long procession leads to the pyre of the festival.
Even in Tursi the 'carnival puppets' suffer the same fate;
the sound of the cupa-cupa accompanies the mask of San Severino Lucano and in Oppido there is a procession with agricultural workers who mime working in the fields during the celebrations.
For more information: aptbasilicata.it
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