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CELEBRATING FERRAGOSTO in ITALY (On the Example of Gemona Del Friuli)

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CELEBRATING FERRAGOSTO in ITALY (On the Example of Gemona Del Friuli) ЕТНІЧНА ІСТОРІЯ НАРОДІВ ЄВРОПИ Natalia ROZYNKA Kyiv CELEBRATING FERRAGOSTO IN ITALY (on the Example of Gemona del Friuli) It is impossible to object to the important function of the transformed folk customs and ceremonies, rituals and holidays even in conditions of the modern postindustrial society, of the urbanized environment. In fact such important components as celebratory and ceremonial clothes, ornaments, musical support, dances, songs, various symbols and attributes which carry out the important aesthetic function, enrich with beauty the world and human soul belong to the celebratory – ceremonial culture1. Preservation by Italians of the ancient holidays with medieval processions, horse competitions, regattas of gondolas, magnificent carnivals, a folk music is an essential counterbalance to modern culture (so-called commercial “masscult”) which in many respects does not suffice spirituality. In contrast to the neighbour countries, for example, France, basic units of a cultural life, both in Ancient Rome and in medieval Italy, were cities. In antiquity in Italy there were many settlements of a city type2. A city structure that was lost with the decline of Roman empire was revived in the Middle Ages, in particular from 11th century3. In the 11th century Italy was already the country of cities where the status of city had more than 300 episcopalian centers, other city settlements – boroughs and castles – were numerous also. Later, in 11 – 13 centuries the Italian cities carried out a huge influence on the development of an agriculture and social structure of the village. The high degree of the urbanization became a prominent feature of Italy already at the end of the early Middle Ages. Strong cities – communes conquered villages by their political authority. Unprecedented blossoming of a city civilization in Italy in 13 – 15th centuries has removed it in the number of the most advanced countries of medieval Europe4. The development in the country mainly the city culture has influenced the form of holding holidays. Since times of the Middle Ages many of them began to be held as the grandiose dramatized shows, contests or celebratory processions. They were usually held (and are held today) on the main city square which in this time turns to sports arena, or in the main street of a city5. Today in Italy any city, even small, has it’s own holiday which has an old, more often agrarian, origin connected to crop or harvesting. With the arrival of Christianity cities and villages have holidays in honour of any saint – the patron: San-Nicola in Bari, San-Gennaro in Naples. The modern researcher Umberto Cordier gives the brief description of more than thousand holidays in different cities6. The majority of these holidays are inherent in the whole Italy and Europe, nevertheless each settlement most solemnly celebrates one or two of them. Medieval August (in Italian Agosto medievale) in Gemona del Friuli, region Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, lasts from August, 1 till August, 18. Gabriella Gavioli marks, that during antique times this celebration lasted all August long7. Now the celebration does not last all the 18 days, nevertheless there are approximately 6 holidays in these 2 weeks and a half. They are logically connected between themselves in a uniform cycle with the beginning, the culmination and the end. The main holiday (it is formal so as now in Gemona there are least celebratory actions) is ferragosto (in August, 15). This holiday is celebrated all across Italy. Obviously, for Gemona it is patronal festival: it’s second, the church name is the Assumption of the Sacred Virgin (Santa Maria Assunta or Assunzione) – coincides with the name of Gemona’s cathedral constructed in 11th c. We shall stop in details on its origin and traditions. As well as the majority of calendar national holidays, ferragosto has agricultural roots. By the nature this is the festive end of the big summer field works. In ceremonies of this day, as well as in other summer holidays, elements of christianity and heathenism have merged. Church holiday of the Assumption of the Sacred Virgin takes its sources in the first centuries of christianity. The Italian Catholic church celebrates this day with solemn processions. Spanish ethnographer Gomes Tabanera sees the roots of the holiday of the Assumption of the Sacred Virgin in antique celebrating in honour of the goddess of fertility Demetra. The Italian researchers adhere to the other point 116 © Natalia Rozynka ВИПУСК № 14 of view, referring to some echoes of the most ancient ceremonies, and in the main thing, to the name of this holiday that is very much distributed in people – ferragosto. The origin of this name is such. Ancient Romans solemnly celebrated the ending of a harvest by a holiday of consualiae, devoted to Consus – to the ancient Italian god of the ground and crops8. Solemn services were dedicated also to the goddess Diana who sponsored woods, phases of the moon and fertility. In celebrations that were carried out at the Aventin temple, not only free Romans, but also slaves were allowed to take part in the celebration: this day all became equal. Women during all year hanged out inside a temple tablets with records of their vows, devoted to the goddess their own clothes so that their future birth was easy and happy. This day all addressed to Diana with the epithet Lucina, that is the defender of birth. This day Romans glorified also gods of cyclic changes of seasons of the year and fertility – Vortumnus and Opeconsiva. So all celebrations have been devoted to the prosperity and fertility of the nature and the woman9. In pre-imperial Rome consualiae fell to the sixth month (year then began with March, it has consisted of 10 months, and there was no January and February in it). AD 27 the Roman senate gave a name of August to Caesar Octavian, and soon one of national tribunes has suggested to name the sixth month in the honour of the emperor – “August”. During the celebrating of consualiae it was customary to exchange presents and wishes, saying a sacramental phrase: “Happy consuale holidays!” (“Bonas ferias consuales!”). In honour of August holidays were held ordinarily, but already they were named not consualiae but augustaliae or holidays of August. The emperor during celebrations generously presented people and patricians. Presents usually consisted of money or poultry. Instead of the old formula “Bonas ferias consuales” have started to say: “Bonas ferias augustales!” (“Happy August holidays!”), that then has turned in Italian “Buon Ferragosto!” Our educated Italian contemporaries (for example, the teacher of a history of art Riccardo Buttafava from Parma) know, that ferragosto means ferie d’agosto (literally – August holidays, rest-dais) nevertheless the majority of people does not think of an origin of the name of this holiday. In the first centuries of christianity heathen consualiae have been replaced by the Christian holiday of the Assumption of the Sacred Virgin10. This tradition has come from the East: during this period the Great Mother was praised, she was the Syrian goddess Atagartis. She was half woman, half fish and was considered as the patroness of fertility and field works. This function later was transferred to the Madonna in the first centuries AD. A fact that can be a confirmation of this connection is that today in Armenia in the day of the Assumption of the Sacred Virgin clusters of grapes are sanctified. In Jerusalem the holiday of the Assumption of the Sacred Virgin began to celebrate from AD 4th c. in a church where as it was thought, Sacred Mary has been buried. The emperor Maurizio has distributed the celebrating to the whole empire. However originally this event was marked under the name of Death or Maria’s Death and did not contact actually with the Assumption, being limited to representations about imperishability of Maria’s body. Only in 18th c. Pope Pio XII has proclaimed a church dogma about the Assumption of Maria11. Nevertheless the new religious environment has not deprived the holiday of its folk character. Since popular parades and games alternated and mixed up with sacred actions. As before, the ceremonies of an exchange of presents and a distribution of the tip that have lived up to our days were kept. In many ceremonies that carry out in the day of ferragosto – the Assumption, it is easy to find out traces of ancient agricultural cults. It is possible to attribute to them a present of the first crop to sacred Maria that occurs still both in Italy, and in other European countries. The rural processions that are still held in some districts of the central and southern Italy have the same connection with the most ancient agrarian cults have. So, in Castelbaronia (area Basilicata) the procession is formed from girls whose heads are decorated with flowers. They accompany “the queen of a grain”, crowned with a garland of ears. In Casacanditelli (area Abruzzi) during a procession girls and women bear on their heads baskets filled with wheat, that are also decorated with flowers and a basil. In Tuse (Sicily) peasants on donkeys carry the first collected crop into a church. Before the celebration of ferragosto there is a fortnight fast. In Sicily believers who address for a favour to Madonna, do not eat even fruits. Upon the termination of a fast it is necessary to send baskets with pears, apples, peaches, figs, grapes and others fruits to friends, girlfriends, and in particular to one’s betrotheds12. All ceremonies that once were carried out in the day of consualiae, today are not known, but in olden times some ritual actions with water, fire or greens were connected with this holiday. In fact Consus was the god of the ground and crops and ancient Romans aspiring to achieve his protection, could carry out such ceremonies.
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