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Friuli Traditions
Throughout the centuries, Friuli has developed a deeply-rooted
autonomous culture; this is seen in the widespread use of a language, Friulian,
of Ladino origin, as well as in the great attention paid to the many local
traditions and the participation in many rites and ceremonial events, whose
significance goes well beyond the aspect of mere folklore.
At Epiphany there are the bonfires (called "pignarûl" in the vernacular of
Udine, "pan e vin" in the Pordenone area, to give but the most common names)
intended to favor the earth's fertility. Again for Epiphany, at Cividale del
Friuli, the "Messa dello Spadone" ("Broadsword Mass") is celebrated, in memory
of the investiture that the patriarch received at the hands of the Emperor.
During the mass the deacon greets the crowd with the sword - dating from 1366,
as it belonged to the patriarch of Aquileia Marquardo of Randeck. At Gemona, the
"Messa del Tallero", ("Dollar Mass") is celebrated; in it, during the offertory
the mayor gives the celebrant a dollar minted in 1780 under the reign of Maria
Theresa of Austria.
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At Pordenone (but the tradition has recently been revived
also in other towns) halfway through Lent the Trial and funeral pyre of the Old
Woman is celebrated; this ritual is also related to the rite of purification by
fire, where an effigy of the "Old Woman" represents the evils of the year gone
by.
In Carnia, the rites of fire coincide with the patron saint's day, or with a
day devoted to some saint near the summer solstice; the launching of "lis
cidulis", flaming wheels, is accompanied by wishes for prosperity.
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Some religious rites, such
as the Rogations, have almost disappeared,
together with the peasant civilization they
were part of. But some processions have
survived: for Corpus Domini and the holy
days devoted to the Virgin Mary and the
Saints.
The Kiss of the Crosses, which takes
place for Ascension in the parish church of Zuglio, in Carnia, is an important
procession; the processional Crosses, all
bedecked, of all the "daughter" parish
churches, come together and bow down in an
act of tribute to the "mother church".
There
are marine processions at Marano for the
feast day of Saints Vito, Modesto and
Crescenzio, and at Grado for the Perdòn of
Barbana (the statue of the Virgin is carried
from Grado to the sanctuary on the little
island of Barbana, accompanied by a boat
procession).
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The custom of celebrating holy performances
on Good Friday is becoming more and more
common. Of medieval origin, these are a
mixture of sacred ritual and theatre. In
Friuli, the most ancient and best known is
that of Erto e Casso, in the Upper
Valcellina, which the whole town takes part in.
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A much less religious but
also very ancient event is the Sagra dei
osei (Bird Festival), held in August in
Sacile. Many people go there at dawn to hear
the birds sing and to see the singing
competitions between birds and decoy
song-birds of all sorts. This event recalls
the right granted to the city in 1351 by the
patriarch of Aquileia to hold a market of
birds caught in the nearby woods of
Cansiglio.
Many of the ancient traditions, understood
as ways or needs of living, are to be found
not only in the festivals but also in the
arts and crafts, using cloth and furniture
in Carnia and wooden objects in Valcellina
(the "sedòns" that the women, the
"sedonère", sold around Italy and abroad),
and objects and tools made of wrought iron
and copper.
As regards the province of Trieste, on the
Carso every year the rite of the Carsic
Wedding is held, celebrated according to the
old traditions.
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Courtesy of the
Friuli Venezia Giulia Official Tourist Board
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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