21 Gen Carnival in Apulia: A Fun and Sweet Tradition!
The tradition of Carnival in Apulia
Carnival in Apulia is considered one of the most beloved festivities as it is everywhere Italy: it is widely celebrated in many towns and villages, each with its own peculiar tradition. While in the most parts of Italy the starting date of Carnival is on January 6th, in Apulia things are a bit different.
Actually, in many towns, such as Gallipoli, Manfredonia and Massafra, the official beginning is on January 17th, that is the day of Saint Anthony the Abbot. In honour of this Saint there are many celebrations, such as the lighting of bonfires, which have a strong symbolic meaning: they represent the distruction of the old things and the birth of new ones.
The most famous of these bonfires is the Fòcara of Novoli, in Salento: it is 25 metres high and its lighting is preceded by an amazing show of fireworks!
The amazing Fòcara of Novoli (iltaccodibacco.it)
Another typical element of Carnival is the parade of masked groups and of allegorical floats, with big satirical papier-mâché figures. In Manfredonia there are many parades, but the most peculiar is the so-called “Notte colorata” (coloured night) as it is performed at night.
The Carnival of Putignano
The most ancient of all of these Carnival feasts is the one in Putignano, famous all over Italy: it dates back to 1394!
It is also the only Carnival in Apulia (in the whole world actually!) to start on December 26th, day of Saint Stephen. This because on that day in 1394, the relics of the Saint were brought from Monopoli to Putignano in order to protect them from the Saracens attacks. The local peasants celebrated their joy for that event with dances and music and covered their faces with a kind of flour made of ground chickpeas and barley called “farinella”.
Today Farinella is the name given to the “Spirit of Carnival”, represented as a jester with a coloured costume and a hat. The big satirical floats recalls, instead, that ancient original procession that was followed by groups of joyous peasants.
The Carnival of Putignano is also characterised by the production of its carnival biscuits, made with the traditional farinella flour, with the addition of sugar, butter, eggs, milk, cinnamon, grated lemon and orange peel.
Floats parade during the Carnival of Putignano (carnevalediputignano.it)
There’s no Carnival without sweets!
Every festivity has its own traditional sweets (we already talked about the typical Christmas ones): so, besides the biscuits of Putignano, Carnival is also the time for the delicious “chiacchiere” (stripes of pastry) and “pittule” (little balls of pastry), that are both fried and then dusted with powdered sugar.
In Salento it’s also time for the so-called “cannelloni di Carnevale”, rolled crepes with a filling of ricotta cheese and flavoured with cinnamon; in Manfredonia, instead, the typical Carnival recipe is the “farrata”, little savoury pies made with spelt.
The traditional “chiacchiere” (archivio.grottaglieinrete.it)
In case you want to experience an amazing Carnival in Apulia, contact us now! We will help you plan a wonderful stay!
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Lots of (Apulian) love!
♥♥♥ Claudia
[your friendly neighborhood wedding planner]
Cover photo: “Notte colorata” in Manfredonia (gabbianosulfaro.it)
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