Carnevale di Sciacca 2018
Not long after I started my research to increase my knowledge and understanding of Sicily`s past and present, I discovered that the Island`s carnivals was a "must see" event.
Carnivals are in fact not only a significant Sicilian tradition
but more or less happening all over Italy. February
in Italy means that just about every city on the Peninsula is invaded with
masks, confetti, colors and lights that make for a very exciting and unique
atmosphere: it’s Carnival! It is a party with ancient roots, and today has
become a folkloristic rite in which traditions and fun work together to bring
enormous life to this unique celebration.
The origins of the Carnival date back to the Roman
Saturnalia festival that rang in the new year. The actual term
"carnevale" however derives from the Latin "carnem
levare" for "take away the meat. The term
indicated the banquet held the last day before the period of abstinence from
meat, i.e. the Christian Lent. Carnival, according to the Roman Catholic
Liturgical Calendar, is set for between Epiphany (January 6th) and the start of Lent.
Initially a feast characterised by enjoyment of
food, drink and sensual pleasures, and granted as a temporary escape for the
lower classes – an opportunity to upend and subvert norms, especially in the
way of social order – through the arc of time Carnival spread throughout the
world and took on different shapes and nuances. From north to south, Italy
marks Carnival with long standing traditions that are internationally-known,
and that attract thousands of visitors from around the world this time every
year.
The most famous Italian carnival around the world is for sure the carnival in
Venice which I had the pleasure of visiting back in 2014. You can see some
pictures here:
This time
however, a fabulous carnival is taking place right on my doorstep in my
Sicilian hometown Sciacca. As you may already know Sciacca is Sicily`s second
largest fishing port, and also famous for it`s ceramic art, which can be seen
in shops all over town, on walls, decorated stairs and in piazzas.
The Carnival however, may be less famous, but is still one of Sicily`s most colourful and entertaining. Its` also much more than just five days of music, street parades beautiful dresses, masks and entertainment. In fact the carnival is culture in it`s deepest sense, engaging lots of people all through the year, with the comprehensive preparations taking place from October trough the carnival days from 8 to 13 February (this year). To the people of Sciacca the carnival is creating pride and identity. Every time I had the chance to respond to someone asking me what I thought about the carnival, and I could give my complements, I got a spontaneous smile and a proud look their eyes.
The Carnival however, may be less famous, but is still one of Sicily`s most colourful and entertaining. Its` also much more than just five days of music, street parades beautiful dresses, masks and entertainment. In fact the carnival is culture in it`s deepest sense, engaging lots of people all through the year, with the comprehensive preparations taking place from October trough the carnival days from 8 to 13 February (this year). To the people of Sciacca the carnival is creating pride and identity. Every time I had the chance to respond to someone asking me what I thought about the carnival, and I could give my complements, I got a spontaneous smile and a proud look their eyes.
The carnival preparations include lots of different activities. An event like creates extensive administrative tasks, logistics and planning to organise the whole, five days program, packed with parades and performances in streets and piazzas. The whole thing is really a puzzle when you consider the town is more or less being turned upside down for five days and receiving thousands of visitors, who needs to be accommodated and provided with all kinds of services.
From
December to the opening of the carnival I had the pleasure to visit and follow
some of the of the preparations more closely, and getting more detailed
information and insight in how the major activities are organised, funded and
all the efforts, skills and engagement it takes to make it such an marvellous
"Festa".
Adding to
the fact that the carnival is a cultural event creating a sense of pride and
identity, I would argue it is also a political, as well as a significant
educational and social project. I`ll try to explain;
The main attractions and core activities in the carnival are built around the eight
huge carts with colourful moving sculptures/figures made by steel, paper,
fibreglass and other materials and the dancing groups linked to each cart, and all
organised in a so called "Associazione", which is a team or a project that Includes
everything from fund raising to every aspect of the creative, technical and
practical process. The political part is both the
obvious fact that several of the carts have a title and an expression with a political,
satirical message, with caricatures raising rhetorical questions linked to
political conflicts, problems or challenges, in the local society or on the national
or international arena. One cart is pointing at the local authorities
inability to keep the fantastic thermal bath "Sciacca terme" open for several
years due to lack of funds and with another part pointing at insufficient service and quality at the local
hospital. Other carts are pointing at pollution and threats to the environment
and conflicts at the international arena and between the US and North Korea. One
Cart which I was watching more closely through the preparations had the title
"È se Forse Tempo Perso" which means something like "If maybe the time is
lost", expressed through the story from "Alice in wonderland", and explained by
the team members as a metaphor for a time where there is to much uncertainty
about the future, education and work opportunities for the young and
politicians that gives lot`s of promises but rarely deliver as they say. And with
hundreds of youth and young adults participating in the preparation process, in
practise, this becomes a piece of modern, political awareness building as
well as a set of workshops and training camps in teamwork and creative
activities. Carnival preparations is also about enjoying friendship with
something serious and meaningful to do together and to have a welcomed alternative to
the normal "hanging out" in the streets and cafe`s. Almost everyone I talked
with who were joining in as team members with the carts and in the dancing groups, where clear that the best
part of the carnival for them were the months of preparations, rather than the
five days of the carnival itself.
To give a
glimpse into the preparation process and the five days of carnival celebrations, I think
pictures and some video clips will tell the story a better than words, so please
have a look at some more pictures and a video below. My "SmugMug" gallery with even more pictures can be found here:
… and a
short video on YouTube here:
Enjoy, make a comment and share if you like it !
Salvatore Pumilia (left) and Michelle Raso (right) are choreographers for the dancing group «E se Fosse Tempo Perso». In the middle is team member Rosella Montagnino.
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One of the cart figures in an early stage. Lots of paper and glue... |
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To build the cart figures many different technical skills has to be combined. The skeletons of the figures are made of steel, so lots of welding is needed. |
Putting on pieces plastic, paper and glue...
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Lots of strong colours is some of the figures signature. To make it nice and really shining it takes good artists and a steady hand... |
Antonio Schittone (in the middle) and some og the team-members in front of the almost ready main parts of «È se Fosse Tempo Perso"
«È se Fosse Tempo Perso» Ready to hit the streets og Sciacca on firs Carnival nights.
Aggressive rhetorics and threats from the guys was a major part of one of the carts...
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The cart decorations can be amazingly detailed and beautiful |
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