The Ear Festival "La Sagra della Spiga"

It's
a folkloristic rustic manifestation, born by an admirable initiative of
Pro-Gangi; it has become the fulcrum of the madonite manifestations and
the whole province. It recalls the traditional lifestyle, the traditions
and the culture of the peasants in the past, mixed them to a pagan mythology
and in particular to the celebration of the myth of the goddess Cerere,
goddess of the abundance and the harvest.
The
manifestation carries out through several moments:
- "A Vanniata da Festa":
"u Vanniaturi"
(the crier ) in his ancient custom and with the typical drum, walk
around for the streets of the town, announcing the beginning of the
manifestation and its program;
- "International folks week":
folkloristic groups
of different nationalities exhibit songs and dances of their
countries.
- "Exhibition of the folkloristic group
Engium ": folkloristic local group that exhibits for
the ways of the country and in the Public People Square;
- "U Corteo du Zitu" (Bridegroom's
parade) : cavalcade of age-old figures,
for the streets of the town; commemoration of the ancient habit from
part of the bride's family to visit the bride and to ask for her hand
(on Saturday);
- "A Zuccatina da Zita":author's
play which recalls the ancient method to ask the hand of a girl in
marriage ( on Saturday);
- "A Manciata di novi cosi":characteristic
cooked mixture of nine legumes, offered to the present people (on
Saturdays);
- "Cerere's parade": it
constitutes the most spectacular and central moment and of the whole
manifestation, that take place on the second Sunday of August. A continuous
evolution has enriched the symbolic meaning by the figurative expedient.
From some year, it has got a completeness that, even if it changes
in some little particulars, it totally respects the reasons that have
inspired its origin. Divided in sections, it develops topics that
find connection in the meaning of the tradition and of the myth and
collect the sense and the spirit of the rural culture and the popular
traditions expressed in several ways: communicative, representative,
figurative and memorable.
The parade is opened by the
local folkloristic group " Engium
", that dance on the notes of the local musical band " S.
Cecilia ".
The second section, constituted
by the " corteo of ziti ", recalls
the most common custom of our popular tradition and the ceremonial
that preceded the marriage in the well-off families of peasants,
" the burgisi ". The third section,
dedicated to the life in the fields, represents the different phases
of the productive cycle: plowing, sowing, mowing and harvest. Among
the represented variety of figures, " A
ritina " covers a particular importance (it is a long
row of mules, pulled by a single driver and used for the transport
of the cereals).
The parade is completed by the
section dedicated to the legendary figures, that recall the Cerere's
myth, mother of the grain, to which, perhaps, was dedicated, together
with the Mothers Goddesses, a magnificent temple on the Mount
Alburchia. Part of the material of historical and artistic
importance, found in this area, is preserved in the Archaeological
Museum in Gangi
Orazio Lupus writes in " Universal History Elements ": Among the
cities of the island, among the more notables, there was together
with Centuripe and Segesta, Engium, near the Mount Marone (locality
where Gangi is constructed today), built up by people from Crete
and very famous for Cerere's temple.
This section comprises in the order:
Abundance - one of Cerere's, attributes, the abundance
is represented by a young nymph with Garland of flowers in her head,
bringing in her right hand a Cornucopia (horn of the abundance)
and in her left hand a bundle of ears. Diana - attributes,
the abundance is represented by a young nymph with Garland of flowers
in her head, bringing in her right hand a Cornucopia (horn of the
abundance) and in her left hand a bundle of ears. Baccus
(or Dionysus) god of wine, viticulture and fruit growing in
general, represents all the prosperity of nature in its various
manifestations. Identified with Libero, he's part of a trio with
Libera and Cerere. His name would come from verb Hebrew "baccah","
that means " to makes din ", that was what happened in its debauches
of drunks. Representative of the physical strength pre-eminence,
he always walks surrounded byBacchantsand Satires
(rural gods), who, in an uproarious procession, get addicted to
a mystical ecstasy of whirling dances and debauches. Pan
- takes part to the Bacchus's parade. This rustic goat look God,
much venerated in the Sicilian hinterland about the IIIth - Ith.
B.C. - The twofold aspect god (positive and negative), hesitates
among the forests in raids, in order to capture and to covet the
Nymphs, by which he always is surrounded during his periods of rest
that he passes playing reed-pipe and whistl. Nymphs - distinguish
in Dryads (bark nymphs), Alseidi (scrub nymphs), Naiads
(river nymphs), Oreadi (mountain nymphs). Syringe,
Eco and Priti, Pan's mistresses considered Bacchus' nannies,
prevail among all. Canephors - girls who open the processions
in the Cerere's festivities carrying on their head a basket with
sacred cakes, incense and garlands. Goddesses Mothers (or Meters)
- Goddesses of maternity and the fecundity, linked to Cerere's
cult. Amorini - small geniuses who represent the pleasures;
they bring baskets containing "i novi cosi" (nine varieties
of cereals and legumes). Clerymen (or Arvali) - agricultural
brotherhood voted to goddess Cerere's cults; they have the task
to consecrate the field before the harvest and to make the sacrifice,
consisting in the killing of a pig, a sheep and a Taurus (souvetaurilia).
The
crown of ears is their symbol; they carry water amphorae used in
the propitiatory rituals. The nymph Proserpine (called Persefone
by Greeks) was the Cerere's beautiful daughter; among the ancient
people she symbolized the regular repetition of the harvest, in
as much as, a legend was linked to her, namely her rape by Pluto,
God of the dead men, who was fell in love with her beauty. The rape
of her daughter caused a such pain to Cerere, goddess of the crops,
that she stopped the sprouting of the grain and a tremendous dryness
destroyed the harvests, so it was unavoidable the involvement of
gods' father, Giove, who established a pact with Pluto: Proserpine
would be remained with the God of the dead men for a third part
of the year and for the remaining two thirds parts she would have
inhabited the sky with Cerere. It is in this last period of the
year that the grain sprouts almost to demonstrate the Proserpine's
presence on Earth.
Cerere called Demeter by Greeks, the mother of the
grain, goddess of the harvests, abundance and agriculture, proceeds
majestic upon the last stavola stavola stavola (ancient mean
of transport without wheels, pulled by cows) surrounded by maids
devout to her, in order to mean the top moment of the paraded. Her
legend is in relation with the fertility of the earth and with the
job that expresses her element and life. It is narrated that Cerere,
not satisfied of show her to the last inhabitants of the fields,
to explain the rituals of the agrarian art, she educated Trittoleme
to the secrets of the ploughing and of seed. Trittoleme went around
the world on a wagon pulled by dragons, teaching to everybody agriculture
and Demeter's cult, getting to a better order of the society and
more civil orderings (Sunday). Wide space besides the tradition
also for the joy. The following figures
are in the parade.
- "U
Pisatu": : musical play, on a text written by
a local author, which recalls the hard life in the fields, the threshing
and the ancient customs linked to it (Sunday).
The manifestation is so notable that, during all its period, important
shows are prepared, among these, that one of the local handicraft and
several painters' and artists' shows.
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