FLORENCE'S MAIN FESTIVALS AND HAPPENINGS
Scoppio del carro (Explosion of the Cart)- Easter Sunday- Piazza del Duomo
It is the first major folk festival of the year. Its origins lie with Pazzino de' Pazzi, leader of the Florentine contingent on the First Crusade.
His
descendants continued to
manage the festival until
the Pazzi conspiracy of
1478, which of course lost
them the office. Since then,
the city authorities have
taken care of business.
A cartload of fireworks is
hauled by six white oxen
from Porta a Prato to the
Duomo. Here, the whole lot
is set off by a "dove" that
whizzes down a wire from the
high altar.
Festa del Grillo (Festival of the Cricket) -Ascension Sunday- Cascine Park
This festival is a
typical Florentine tradition
deriving from pagan
festivities.
Still today, in amongst the
stalls and the picnickers
you will find people selling
wooden cages containing
crickets, which are then
released onto the grass - a
ritual that harks back to
the days when men placed a
cricket on the door of their
lovers to serenade them.
Calcio storico (Costume Football Game) -Piazza Santa Croce- Final: 24th June
It probably dates
back to the "Arpasto",
played by legionaries of the
Roman "Florentia", because
it reminds in its
arrangements and movements,
the battle-order of the
Roman army.
Young people of noble
families and special
physical strength were bound
to dedicate themselves to
this rude play, in order to
show, during the play, not
only the sumptuousness of
the uniform but also their
own strength, and
combativeness, rising always
the admiration of the
attending gentle ladies.
Still today, each of the
four historic quarters
fields a team. Prize for the
winning is a calf, which
gets roasted in a street
party after the tournament
and shared among the four
teams and the inhabitants of
the winning quarter.
Festa di San Giovanni (Saint John's Day) - 24th June
John the Baptist
is Florence's patron. The
city always bestowed great
honours upon him.
Still today, in the morning
of 24th June a short
ceremonial procession leaves
from Palazzo Vecchio in
order to offer large candles
to Florence's patron. During
the night there is a massive
fireworks display up on
Piazzale Michelangelo.
La Rificolona www.zoomedia.it
La Rificolona (Festival of the Lanterns) - 7th September - Eve of the Virgin's birthday
Some authors think that festival of "rificolona" is connected with the arrival in Florence of people from the near country, but from far and inaccessible Casentino and Pistoia mountains as well. They were induced to the religious pilgrimage by their wish to celebrate the Virgin's nativity in the basilica of Santissima Annunziata, but also by the fair of 7th and 8th September, where they had the chance to sell their products and goods. They had torches and lanterns of different shapes: by them, they illuminated mountain and country roads and, once in the city, its dark streets as well. Florentines began to create the first "rificolone", inspired by mountaineers lanterns. They were carried all over the city hanging from a long cane. After a short while "rificolone" changed their shape and people began to hang them on their windows. Nowadays they are carried all over Florence by children.
Courtesy of firenzeturismo.it Azienda per il Turismo di Firenze
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