Grauno Carnival 2018

Grauno Carnival, in which a pine tree is put to flames, represents one of the oldest traditions connected to the Alpine carnival lore. From the Epiphany, the enchanting small village in the Upper Valle di Cembra and its inhabitants become the main players in a ritual whose roots lie in the mists of time.

The carnival reaches its climax on Shrove Tuesday when the great tree is set on fire, a symbol used in ancient pre-Christian rituals for propitiation and fertility. This concluding feat is preceded by a complex ritual that involves cutting a pine tree in the mountain above the village and dragging the tree to the town square. Here an improvised comedy is put on show, where the last male to have married in town is “condemned” to baptize the tree. The tree is then taken to the “Busa del Carneval” (Carnival Hollow) and raised vertically. 

In the evening, after the church bells toll the Ave Maria, the procession regroups for the final phase of the celebration: the procession is led by accordion players who strike up a Carnival hymn, followed by the coscritti (young men who are close to their compulsory military draft), adorned with splendid traditional head gear, and lastly the crowd of revellers. It is the last groom of the year and his bride who set fire to the carnival pine, to be seen from anywhere in Valle di Cembra, like an enormous torch, once the flames are blazing. For some years now, the Matòci (jokers), the Arlecchini (harlequins), the Sonadori (musicians), the procession of Grooms with their Bèle (brides) and the Paiaci (clowns) of the historic Valfloriana Carnival, a village perched on the opposite bank of the valley, meet in Grauno on Tuesday morning to receive the keys to the village before beginning the historic and goliardic rituals typical to two of the most important Carnivals in the Alps. 

Event location:  Theatre Tent – La Pozza (Grauno)

For further information: A.p.T. (Tourist Board) Piné Cembra tel. +39 0461 683110

Organisers: Pro Loco Grauno

Source: www.visitpinecembra.it