The carnival tradition is very old and is accompanied with acts and documents of the eighteenth century, in addition to folkloristic origins dating back Medieval times, that have been passed down for its original popular spirit, which was the true propagator.
Tradition that has not failed to arouse the interest of Italian and foreign scholars who, in past and recent investigations, have been keen to point out how it survives in Gallipoli in terms of popular expressiveness codified through unbroken behavioral customs despite the centuries-long history of the city.
Since time immemorial Gallipoli people perform and theatrically take part in carnival parades and happenings as a way to celebrate, possibly unknowingly, pagan rites.
It is no coincidence that time is marked by pre-Christian ceremonies such as the purifying fire rite with bonfires made of a mountain of olive wood, which Carnival is started by, on 17th January. This is the “Focareddhe” rite dedicated to St. Anthony Abbot, the Christian patron of fire and these bonfires were in the past lit up at one hundred crossroads of the town, now in the New Borough.
At the first reverberation of the flames the signal is given to the sound of the Saracen tambourine for the aperture of the prococious dances, cadenced to the rhythm of the “pizzaca” and accompanied by salacious remarks and sparkling laughter, with popular euphoria directed toward the young toward the young couples.
Carnival was, and still is, celebrated with interpenetrations between pagan and Christian traditions and with naturalistic frenzy and popular religiosity.
It is no chance that the traditional and popular mask is “lu Tidoru“, Teodoro.
According to tradition, Teodoro, a young soldier of Gallipoli, was forced to stay far from his hometown but he hoped he could be back home before the end of Carnival, during the period, that is, when everyone could enjoy the abundance of food and meat before the advent of Lent, which the Church destined for penance and abstinence.
And in this sense had been addressed to God the prayers of his mother, the “Caremma”, who, by so much pleading had obtained an extension of two days (“i giurni te la vecchia”) to the established period, so that her son could partake of such abundance.
The following Tuesday Theodore finally returned home and plunged into the frenzied whirlwind of dancing and revelry, trying irrepressibly to make up for all the uselessly lost time.
He was so greedy that, on that tragic Shrove Tuesday, he ate tons of sausages and meat balls and consequently he suffocated.
When Teodoro died, also Carnival and orgies died. When the clock stroke midnight, people crowded the old town and knelt bare-headed at the foot of the fifteenth century Franciscan belfry to attest their contrition in consideration of the lability of human life in the hope of divine forgiveness. This was encouraged by a canonical penance which had to start from Ash Wednesdays and last for forty days, the time of Christian Lent.
Unstoppable cycle between euphoria and depression, between secularism and religiosity, a telltale of an eternal existential and human condition seesawing between an often consuming experience in the dramatic aspiration for the livable earthly and the tragic human awareness of certain death. Carnival was the symbol of light-hearted euphoria, which started in the old town to pass then to the new borough, which was shown wearing fancy dresses made in simple or precious fabric. All social classes took part in the celebration and all people laughed and played around, forgetting everyday life apprehensions.
In groups, the masks scampered through the crowd-invaded streets amid the applause, confetti, confetti, and a thousand sarcastic puppet gimmicks that fueled the merriment and lightheartedness until they were tired.
At the beginning of the new century some sarcastic floats timidly showed off also in the new borough, but “lu carru te lu Tidoru” was always shown in the old town.
This hundreds of years old tradition was reintroduced at the end of the Second World War as a way to exorcise the avoided risk. In 1954, the “Associazione Turistica pro Gallipoli”, organized the first parade of allegorical and grotesque floats to offer the many artisans and small businessmen, the most famous of which are Flora, Pantile and Scorrano, the chance to knead papier maché and make great works.
At first it was hard but promising, thus the parade was proposed again and success gradually increased and at last it vied with other contestants throughout Salento. A contest with prizes has been held and more and more people, even more than 120.000, rush to assist at the three day parade crowding together along the main street of the New Borough.
Original text – Elio Pindinelli
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