BACUGNO POSTA
The festivities in honour of ‘Santa Maria della Neve’ take place every year in the first days of August and culminate on the morning of 5 August with the evocative religious ceremony in the village church. The event is also known as the rite of the ‘Toro Ossequioso’, because it contains ritual elements from pre-Roman Italic cultures that have been intertwined with the rites of the Christian religion.
The authentic and sober character of the celebrations emerges from four very important ritual elements of great spectacular value, of which the tradition is composed: the furrow and the biffa, the obsequious bull, the mannocchio and the ‘ciammellitti’.
On the night of 3 to 4 August, Il solco e la biffa (the furrow and the biffa) takes placeduring which a group of furrowers set off for the top of Mount Boragine and at dawn begin cutting a 20-metre-high beech pole (the ‘biffa’), which, carried on their shoulders to the top, is planted as a signal for the start of the straight furrow, which then heads for the village at the entrance to the church, where a second biffa is erected. This is a rite that celebrates rural work. The furrowers then descend the mountain, stopping off in the village of Vetozza, where the villagers offer them refreshments before resuming their journey towards Bacugno. Here they are greeted by a traditional lunch and the sound of traditional music and dance.
The Obsequious Bull. The kneeling of the animal is a legacy of the rite of thanksgiving to the gods and to nature for the generosity shown towards man’s main activities (agriculture and sheep farming). The bull is thus presented as a force of nature that serves man and is a sign of wealth, security and social prestige for farmers.
On the morning of 5 August, the bull is “harnessed”, i.e. dressed, with an ancient cape on its back, red ribbons (or pink, as in the Sabine tradition) on its long horns and a thread between them, along which a series of coins are strung, symbolising and auguring wealth and prosperity. The central event of the rite, however, is the triple genuflection of the bull in the churchyard in front of the statue of the Virgin, a moment of profound and silent devotion followed by the roar of applause from onlookers.
The Manocchio.Lu Manocchiu’ (from the Latin ‘manus – opus’) or ‘Mannocchio’, a symbol of abundance and fertility, is a large sheaf of wheat made from ears of corn, gathered into small bunches one by one and inserted by hand into a large preparation frame. Once the processing is complete, the ‘tying’ takes place to obtain the characteristic rounded shape. It is then encircled with a braid of ears of corn and surmounted by a cross of corn. Once the processing is complete, the ‘tying’ takes place to obtain the characteristic rounded shape. It is then encircled with a braid of ears of corn and surmounted by a cross of corn. Once all the operations have been completed, it is placed on a wooden structure made up of a central base, while two long rods are attached to the two sides to facilitate transport. On August 5th, it is carried on the shoulders of sixteen people through the streets of the village during the procession to the church of Santa Maria della Neve. The Manocchio enters the churchyard immediately after the triple genuflection of the bull and its entrance coincides with the throwing of the traditional sheaf in the four cardinal directions (a gesture that recalls rituals from Roman times) by a girl in traditional costume, placed on top of the sheaf.
The “Ciammellitti”. Ciammellitti’ are a symbol of festivity and good omen: their production is a celebration of the abundance of the harvest, thanksgiving and public sharing. They are traditional sweets, made by the skilful hands of the town’s women and thrown to the crowd in the church square following the entrance of the Mannocchio and the throwing of the ciambello, thus completing the ritual framework of the festivities. The throwing of the ‘ciammellitti’ by the girls in traditional costume is a much-awaited and euphoric moment when everyone scrambles to catch as many sweets as possible and return home satisfied.
VIDEO
IMAGE GALLERY
BACUGNO POSTA
The festivities in honour of ‘Santa Maria della Neve’ take place every year in the first days of August and culminate on the morning of 5 August with the evocative religious ceremony in the village church. The event is also known as the rite of the ‘Toro Ossequioso’, because it contains ritual elements from pre-Roman Italic cultures that have been intertwined with the rites of the Christian religion.
The authentic and sober character of the celebrations emerges from four very important ritual elements of great spectacular value, of which the tradition is composed: the furrow and the biffa, the obsequious bull, the mannocchio and the ‘ciammellitti’.
On the night of 3 to 4 August, Il solco e la biffa (the furrow and the biffa) takes placeduring which a group of furrowers set off for the top of Mount Boragine and at dawn begin cutting a 20-metre-high beech pole (the ‘biffa’), which, carried on their shoulders to the top, is planted as a signal for the start of the straight furrow, which then heads for the village at the entrance to the church, where a second biffa is erected. This is a rite that celebrates rural work. The furrowers then descend the mountain, stopping off in the village of Vetozza, where the villagers offer them refreshments before resuming their journey towards Bacugno. Here they are greeted by a traditional lunch and the sound of traditional music and dance.
The Obsequious Bull. The kneeling of the animal is a legacy of the rite of thanksgiving to the gods and to nature for the generosity shown towards man’s main activities (agriculture and sheep farming). The bull is thus presented as a force of nature that serves man and is a sign of wealth, security and social prestige for farmers.
On the morning of 5 August, the bull is “harnessed”, i.e. dressed, with an ancient cape on its back, red ribbons (or pink, as in the Sabine tradition) on its long horns and a thread between them, along which a series of coins are strung, symbolising and auguring wealth and prosperity. The central event of the rite, however, is the triple genuflection of the bull in the churchyard in front of the statue of the Virgin, a moment of profound and silent devotion followed by the roar of applause from onlookers.
The Manocchio.Lu Manocchiu’ (from the Latin ‘manus – opus’) or ‘Mannocchio’, a symbol of abundance and fertility, is a large sheaf of wheat made from ears of corn, gathered into small bunches one by one and inserted by hand into a large preparation frame. Once the processing is complete, the ‘tying’ takes place to obtain the characteristic rounded shape. It is then encircled with a braid of ears of corn and surmounted by a cross of corn. Once the processing is complete, the ‘tying’ takes place to obtain the characteristic rounded shape. It is then encircled with a braid of ears of corn and surmounted by a cross of corn. Once all the operations have been completed, it is placed on a wooden structure made up of a central base, while two long rods are attached to the two sides to facilitate transport. On August 5th, it is carried on the shoulders of sixteen people through the streets of the village during the procession to the church of Santa Maria della Neve. The Manocchio enters the churchyard immediately after the triple genuflection of the bull and its entrance coincides with the throwing of the traditional sheaf in the four cardinal directions (a gesture that recalls rituals from Roman times) by a girl in traditional costume, placed on top of the sheaf.
The “Ciammellitti”. Ciammellitti’ are a symbol of festivity and good omen: their production is a celebration of the abundance of the harvest, thanksgiving and public sharing. They are traditional sweets, made by the skilful hands of the town’s women and thrown to the crowd in the church square following the entrance of the Mannocchio and the throwing of the ciambello, thus completing the ritual framework of the festivities. The throwing of the ‘ciammellitti’ by the girls in traditional costume is a much-awaited and euphoric moment when everyone scrambles to catch as many sweets as possible and return home satisfied.
VIDEO
IMAGE GALLERY