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Provincia di Udine
Assessorato al Turismo |
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 The
mysterious fascination of the twelfth night, the night
of the Epiphany, the last one of the Christmas period,
it has always bewitched people from all Europe, those
of the Mediterranean and those of the Near East and ancient
traditions are linked to this night.The celebrations for
this day can be divieded into two parts: rowdy and burlesque
one based on a noisy fun that recalls Carneval; the other
one ritualistic in between the magic and the sacred still
recalling the Advent and Christmans. The epiphany's fires
of the Friuli, the " Pignarûi " or "
Palavins " belong to this second current, but in
their solemn semplicity they turn out, differently from
other christmas traditions of center-northerner Europe,
devoid "of awkward devils and bizzarre witches ",
faithfuls to a trimillenary rituality that was undoubtedly,
and also deeply, Celtic, but whose origins goes even more
back in times. And the fires of this ancient tradition
will relight also this year in Tarcento giving out joy
and happiness. Tarcento does not have the monopoly of
the " Pignarûi ", a preChristian tradition
particularly loved from people living in Friuli, but it
has certainly the credit to have cultivated it during
these last 73 years, while around Friuli this tradition
was disappearing, inspiring the rebirth in many villages
all over Friuli, this is the reason why today in the night
of the Epiphany, Friuli's land look like the mirror of
the firmament, as it was in the time of Ippolito Nievo,
150 years ago, in the time of Longobards and Romans and
of those that lived in these land between the Adriatic
and the Alps before them. Tarcento is therefore, togher
with Gemona and Cividale, one of the capital of the Epiphany
in Friuli. Thanks to the entire Council that operates
with lodevole spirit of initiative and daily engagement,
the Association Pro Tarcento, supported from the town
council, gives particular importance to the aspect of
fire, so loved in the tradition of Friuli, underlining
the " liturgy of the fire " bringing it back
to the old major role that it used to have: privileging
the more genuine tradition, revaluing the festivity adding
some of the most important topics of the ancient cerimoniale,
cleverly interpreted in modern version. The Epiphany has
a long and intense eve. At the sunset, the 5th of January
the " Pignarulârs ", the man engaged in
the preparation and the inflammation of bonfires, on the
mountain, on the hills and in the villages, receive from
the " Magnificient Old " the fire in order to
inflammed the " Pignarûl ", remembering
that in old times at the night af the 5th of Jenuary after
the blessing of the saint water, boys received at the
door of the church, the flame of the blessing fire and
escorted the " Old " of the village to give
fire to his own Palavin. The " Pignarulârs
" in procession will light the roads of Tarcento
with their joyful torch-light procession from the church
towards the courtyard of the villages, as it used to be
in old times whwre there were the bonfires ready - in
Friuli and Carnia this happen after the blessing of the
water in the Epiphany's night; in Slovenia after the blessing
of the water in the night of the Saturday before Easter.
The torch light procession will finished with the spectacular
race of the kindled chariot and on behalf of one housing
estate some people will attempt to win the " Racing
silk of the Pignarulârs " along viale Marinelli
that, in the occasion will assume the function of the
Circus Maximum.
 This
amazing race takes place immedialtly before the inflammation
of the " Pignarûl " during the afternoon
of the Epiphany: both for the large one of Coja and for
all the smaller ones placed on the hills around Tarcento.
Wainting for the evening of 6th of January, the magnificent
historical procession will drag the crowd along streets
and public squares in order to live agian the ancient
Epiphany's atmosphere; many nobles will attend the ceremony:
the earl of Gorizia and Gerald from Camino, some relatives
of the Arctic di Castello Signore of Tarcento; the Grossumbergo
from Gemona and the unfriendly Savorgnani, the Zuccola,
Prampero and Villalta with their ladies and other followers:
the Patriarch Raimondo della Torre and Arctic, called
Articone, the " riunifier " of Tarcento with
Soladamor from Zuccola; the ceremony of the investiture
is acted on the large tiers, at the bottom of the main
street where the " Castello-Frangipane " used
to live. The " Vieli Venerand " or Magnificient
Old, symbolic figure of a grandfather and of a narrator,
surrende from children, tells the story of the solemn
investiture of the nobleman Arctic of Castel Porpetto
from the patriarch of Aquileia, Raimondo della Torre.
The true ceremony took place towards the year 1290. Before
ending the story the Magnificient Old will close the "
Book of the history " and he recalls to the crowd
the Christian tradition of the three Magi, living again
the beautiful moments of his childhood during Christmans
and the Epiphany. After this remembering The Magnificient
Old go back to his old role as head of the village, he
asks all the crowd to follow him to Coja - holding torches
- in order to renew the rituals. It is there were the
Frangipane used to live and were it is possible to see
down to the see that the great bonfire, the " Pignarûl
Grant " will be inflammated, and while youg women
, men and children will celebrate the fire the Magnificient
Old will "read" in the smoke the state of the
new year:"Se ' l fum al và a sorêli
jevât cjape ' l sac and vâ to marcjât
". (If the smoke turns to east you will continuously
go to the market with your bag), but " Se' l fum
al và a sorêli a mont cjape ' l sac e vâ
a pal mont ". (If the smoke folds to the sunset it
is better to emigrate with your bag around the world). |
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