Baìo
Encyclopedia
The baìo is a traditional festival that takes place every five years in the municipality of Sampeyre
in Valle Varaita in the province of Cuneo
, Italy
. It falls between the last week of January and early February. It is one of the most important and ancient traditional festivals in the Italian Alps
. The most recent festival began Sunday, February 4, 2007. and concluded in the capital of all four Baìe, February 15 (Fat Thursday
).
The Baìo is composed of four parades (or "armies"), coming from the provincial capital Sampeyre
(Piasso) and its three hamlets: Rore (Rure), Calchesio (Chucheis), and Villar
(Vilà). Traditionally the parades have only involved the men of each village performing while the complicated costumes have been woven by the women of the village. The men have also traditionally interpreted the roles of women: a custom which has not spared the party from being accused of machismo
.
One of the most important parts of the festival
, contributed to by the public and interpreters is the dance. The Valle Varaita is considered the most important centre for the maintenance and rediscovery of Occitan traditions where they have maintained many of the traditional dances, folklore
as well as music
, so, the sound of violin
s, accordions, organs, clarinet
s, and hurdy gurdy
(sonsaina in Occitan) are heard during traditional occitan dances such as courento, gigo, courento di custiole, countradanso, tresso, bureo d'San Martin, bureo vieìo, as well as many others
On the second Sunday before Fat Thursday
, four processions parade in their village, except the inhabitants of Calchesio who go to Sampeyre
to meet the cortege of Piasso.
Sunday following the various Baìo start at a time of Sampeyre where the solemn meeting: Abba (the generals, called the Hebrew father) exchanged a greeting with swords, and parade to the square where four groups are formed dance with their players.
During the procession, the parade meets barriers formed by logs that symbolize obstacles left by the Saracens during their flight: These barricades are torn down by sapeurs ("zappatori" in Occitan, and "guastatore" in French) with axes followed by dancing and refreshments.
On Fat Thursday, all of the inhabitants of the area, except those in Villar, parade again from Sampeyre to return to their village for the closure of the party with the process treasurer. In fact, he tries to escape with cash thanks to the help of a secretary, but is traditionally apprehended, tried and pardoned by all of Baìo; they are then transported and retried in Villar where they are executed.
of villagers, and open the procession of Calchesio and Sampeyre.
Tambourn majour - leads the procession of Calchesio and Villar, waving a long baton in time to music.
Arlequin - is the "Marshal" of the Baìo, which must frighten people in order to prevent the march.
Sarazine - girls who are waving a white handkerchief as a signal code for the army of liberation, played by very young children.
Segnourine - dressed in white to symbolize the end of slavery by Saracens, are played by boys between the ages of 10 and 16 years.
Tambourin – A small group announcing the parade with timballos (small drums) and Tambourine
s who also mark the pace of travel.
Sapeur - armed with axes, remove the barriers of logs left by fleeing Saracens.
Grec – in the parades of Rore, and Calchesio Sampeyre; are young people from 17 to 30 years portraying the Greek prisoners, freed by the villagers.
Escarlinìe - are the infantry of villagers, and are armed with clubs decorated with ivy, colored ribbons and bells.
Espous - pairs of young married couples, who are confined to one for the procession of Rore.
Segnouri - are the wealthy in the country which can now live freely without fear of looting by Saracens, the parades of Rore, Sampeyre and Villar.
Sounadour - are the parade of musicians who play for dancing, occasionally for more than twenty-four hours uninterrupted.
Uzuart - are guards accompanying the Alum, armed with swords or rifles.
Granatìe - accompanying the Tezourìe (treasurer) and executioner, there are only Villar.
Morou (Moor) and Turc - the first travel by mule as the prisoners are freed from the Saracens, the second are Saracens taken prisoner, chained, travelling on foot and are only Sampeyre.
Viéi and Viéio (the old man and the old woman) - are the characters who closed the parade in a ridiculous manner, wheezing and pretending to be unable to keep pace. They are dressed in rags and with a basket containing a child (a doll) and a fiascone of wine.
Cantinìe (cantiniere) - runs up and down the parade making sure that no one is short on drink.
Sampeyre
Sampeyre is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km southwest of Turin and about 35 km northwest of Cuneo...
in Valle Varaita in the province of Cuneo
Cuneo
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It falls between the last week of January and early February. It is one of the most important and ancient traditional festivals in the Italian Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. The most recent festival began Sunday, February 4, 2007. and concluded in the capital of all four Baìe, February 15 (Fat Thursday
Fat Thursday
Fat Thursday is a traditional Polish, Greek and German feast marking the last Thursday before Lent and is associated with the celebration of Carnival...
).
Origins and tradition
The origins of this feast date back to between 975 or 980, when teams of Saracens who had penetrated the valley in order control the alpine passes were driven away by the local population. The festival is therefore commemoration of the expulsion of these invaders.The Baìo is composed of four parades (or "armies"), coming from the provincial capital Sampeyre
Sampeyre
Sampeyre is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km southwest of Turin and about 35 km northwest of Cuneo...
(Piasso) and its three hamlets: Rore (Rure), Calchesio (Chucheis), and Villar
Villar
Villar can refer to:* Villar-en-Val, a town in the Aude département, FranceThe name of several places in Italy:* Villar Dora, a town in the province of Turin in Piedmont* Villar Focchiardo, a town in the province of Turin in Piedmont...
(Vilà). Traditionally the parades have only involved the men of each village performing while the complicated costumes have been woven by the women of the village. The men have also traditionally interpreted the roles of women: a custom which has not spared the party from being accused of machismo
Machismo
Machismo, or machoism, is a word of Spanish and Portuguese origin that describes prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity. As an attitude, machismo ranges from a personal sense of virility to a more extreme male chauvinism...
.
One of the most important parts of the festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
, contributed to by the public and interpreters is the dance. The Valle Varaita is considered the most important centre for the maintenance and rediscovery of Occitan traditions where they have maintained many of the traditional dances, folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
as well as music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, so, the sound of violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, accordions, organs, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, and hurdy gurdy
Hurdy gurdy
The hurdy gurdy or hurdy-gurdy is a stringed musical instrument that produces sound by a crank-turned rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to a violin...
(sonsaina in Occitan) are heard during traditional occitan dances such as courento, gigo, courento di custiole, countradanso, tresso, bureo d'San Martin, bureo vieìo, as well as many others
Script
The events and meetings of the various parts of the Baìo follow a precise script dictated by tradition:On the second Sunday before Fat Thursday
Fat Thursday
Fat Thursday is a traditional Polish, Greek and German feast marking the last Thursday before Lent and is associated with the celebration of Carnival...
, four processions parade in their village, except the inhabitants of Calchesio who go to Sampeyre
Sampeyre
Sampeyre is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km southwest of Turin and about 35 km northwest of Cuneo...
to meet the cortege of Piasso.
Sunday following the various Baìo start at a time of Sampeyre where the solemn meeting: Abba (the generals, called the Hebrew father) exchanged a greeting with swords, and parade to the square where four groups are formed dance with their players.
During the procession, the parade meets barriers formed by logs that symbolize obstacles left by the Saracens during their flight: These barricades are torn down by sapeurs ("zappatori" in Occitan, and "guastatore" in French) with axes followed by dancing and refreshments.
On Fat Thursday, all of the inhabitants of the area, except those in Villar, parade again from Sampeyre to return to their village for the closure of the party with the process treasurer. In fact, he tries to escape with cash thanks to the help of a secretary, but is traditionally apprehended, tried and pardoned by all of Baìo; they are then transported and retried in Villar where they are executed.
Characters
Cavalìe - are the cavalryCavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
of villagers, and open the procession of Calchesio and Sampeyre.
Tambourn majour - leads the procession of Calchesio and Villar, waving a long baton in time to music.
Arlequin - is the "Marshal" of the Baìo, which must frighten people in order to prevent the march.
Sarazine - girls who are waving a white handkerchief as a signal code for the army of liberation, played by very young children.
Segnourine - dressed in white to symbolize the end of slavery by Saracens, are played by boys between the ages of 10 and 16 years.
Tambourin – A small group announcing the parade with timballos (small drums) and Tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
s who also mark the pace of travel.
Sapeur - armed with axes, remove the barriers of logs left by fleeing Saracens.
Grec – in the parades of Rore, and Calchesio Sampeyre; are young people from 17 to 30 years portraying the Greek prisoners, freed by the villagers.
Escarlinìe - are the infantry of villagers, and are armed with clubs decorated with ivy, colored ribbons and bells.
Espous - pairs of young married couples, who are confined to one for the procession of Rore.
Segnouri - are the wealthy in the country which can now live freely without fear of looting by Saracens, the parades of Rore, Sampeyre and Villar.
Sounadour - are the parade of musicians who play for dancing, occasionally for more than twenty-four hours uninterrupted.
Uzuart - are guards accompanying the Alum, armed with swords or rifles.
Granatìe - accompanying the Tezourìe (treasurer) and executioner, there are only Villar.
Morou (Moor) and Turc - the first travel by mule as the prisoners are freed from the Saracens, the second are Saracens taken prisoner, chained, travelling on foot and are only Sampeyre.
Viéi and Viéio (the old man and the old woman) - are the characters who closed the parade in a ridiculous manner, wheezing and pretending to be unable to keep pace. They are dressed in rags and with a basket containing a child (a doll) and a fiascone of wine.
Cantinìe (cantiniere) - runs up and down the parade making sure that no one is short on drink.