Bagoss Carnival - 23/24 february 2004

Geographically isolated, Bagolino has been able to develop a centurial tradition well known further away its regional borderlines: The Bagoss Carnival. The highlights of this popular Carnival are represented by the Dancers, the Musician and the “Maschèr” (the mask). Important components of the heart of this famous carnival are the dances and music, as il Sordi recalls: “…a one of its kind phenomenon in Italy, with few competitors in Europe. Provides a breathless example of the complicated level a folk music society may reach…”

To confirm this custom has very depth root, some ancient documents form the City State have been found, dating back to the XVI century. On 1518, the City State of Bagolino gives instructions to offer the Companion of Laveno, which came in town to celebrate and participate at the Carnival, a whole cheese as an award. It is necessary to remember at that time, it was significant and part of a tradition to exchange invitations between villages. On 1694 during a visit of Bishop Giorgio Sigismondo Sinnersberg, preached local priests “during carnival time, don’t you use the excuse to wander with a mask”. Buccio, peasant from nineteenth century, recalls that this Carnival was celebrated in enormous joy, even “directors” were chosen. Their duty was to observe no disorder would happen. To this party, adds Buccio: “…it was used to exchange invitations… among the communities of Storo and Condino, it would also take to exchange feast meals that would later on lead to grow friendship, love and correspondence…”

Don L. Zenucchini, curate of Bagolino, wrote in 1929 to the Salesianian Missionars of Ivrea “… the Bagolino’s Carnival is traditional, even if not approved by ecclesiastic authorities, for obvious reasons, goes on because of an ancient tradition. There is no harm in this Carnival, even old men on their seventies go around with the mask” Old people agree to the fact that Bagolino’s Carnival keeps on in time without changing the ancient tradition given to this feast by Dancers and local Masks.

The Dancers

Dancers and Musicians do their exhibitions only the last Monday and Tuesday of the Carnival. Dancers are identified by their spectacular short hut made of felt. This hut is covered with meters of red ribbon, sewed and bended by the capable hands of the women in town, creating curly forms that are the main feature of this hut. Every single hut is sewed following the ancient uses: sewing to the red ribbon family’s and friends’ gold.

Some old huts were also decorated with rattles, pieces of mirrors and “merineè” kind of golden or silver corals that sewed together would take the form of “s” or hearts. On the hut’s left hand side, a coloured boldly bow, made with several coloured ribbons. The dress used by dancers is the simple dark suit that in ancient times people used to wear during the year and that in occasion of the Carnival comes fancy decorated. The pants, knee length, have lateral embroidery made with more coloured ribbon. Also the jacket has several decorations, on the left arm a ribbon or a cockade are applied. On the shoulders, big white cotton straps with over lines are applied. This custom was introduced only after 1915, originally the straps where simple and the embroidery would recall a braid.

A wide band in silk, velvet or lace, used as a handbag, from the right shoulder to the left hip, with fine finishing of coloured tassels, cockade or bow. White gloves are worn in hands. Hand knitted white socks, with red under socks, are held knee height with “sènte” local hand loomed braid, ending with “mèsoline” sort of coloured tassels, sewed in set of three at a time. Shoes are black. To end up the dancers dress, a big fringe shawl is worn, tied on neck and going down the shoulders. Dancers’ faces are hidden behind an ivory cloth, without expression. Same is internally rubbed on with wax to avoid the cloth gets wet with sweat. The mask is firmly held by a band which covers head and neck.

The Dancers Companion

There was a time when the Dancers Companion were four different groups, in each of these groups there were about 150 men. There was a sort of contest among them to have more participants. For not entering in competition companions would dance in different streets. Dancers could switch companions. Music was the same for all four companions. Nowadays, the companions are two. One performing in Bagolino and the second one performing in Ponte Caffaro. Companions are lead by one or two “Head Dancer” and perform chosen dances. The Head Dancer calls to order with a brass horn hung in neck, announces the beginning of the dances and leads his group during the intervals. Old peasants are convinced some recalls of these orders, made mostly in the local dialect: “en crus” (crossed exchange of dancers), “co lò so babalè” (dance with the own female partner), “en crus e balalè” (crossed exchange with female partners), mean that there would have been a female participation in the origins of the dance.

Dance Begins

Even if nowadays dancers are all male, wearing the same mask, to distinguish roles played during the dance, from males (dialectally called “om” or “head”) to females (called “fomle” or “figure”), female masks have two red spots drawn on the cheeks, called “pomei”. At the proper time, the head dancer will divide men, “om”, from women, “fomle” to begin with dances. Dancers will proceed across the country streets, making breaks at fixed stops. There was once the use to stop under the window of the fiancée or friends to dance. Dancers do their performance shaking hands in a very personal and tricky way that local people call “segnacole”, fooling the sophistication of Court balls from centuries before. Musicians are six, they play two guitars, two violins, a mandolin (recent introduction) and a contrabass, playful called “vèdèl (dialectal name for calf). They wear the local typical dress and a simple “old” hut with a single ribbon around the dome.

Carnival’s Dance and Music

Music to go along with dancers are performed in public exclusively the last Monday and Friday from the Carnival.
It’s the violin that leads all pieces. It’s an unusual feature of alternating instruments together with a traditional performance art, unique of its kind, with three voices: one low and two higher. The perfect sound comes by “nipping” the two first cords mi – la, hardly ever the third and ever the fourth.

Dances

There’s Ariòzè, that to be danced requires from wide open spaces, as the dance must be performed in a wide circle shape.

Bal Frances

Bas de Tac

• Biondina
• Busulu
• Francischète
• Meschèrine
• Molètè
• Monichèlè
• Pas en amur
• Roze e Fiori
• Saltè ‘n barchè
• Sefolòt
• Tonine

Unter den selten aufgeführten Tänzen sind zu nennen:

• Bal dei Pògn
• Bal de l’Urs
• Chedine
• Oibò
• Partensè Emanuèl
• Segnù

Experts agree to to explain and learn the roots of these particular dances, it is needed to go, certainly back in time and after the traces of ancient west Europe as well as the closest frontier countries. Music may have been inherited from Tirole’s musicians. Most dances recall the elegance of ancient Court balls, modified in time and performed with the playful style from the Bagoss people mixed with their ancient Carnival usage. This is the most important reason of the continuation of this tradition in time.

The Mask (Maschèr)

Another important character of this Carnival, that recalls the sad part of the past of the local people. There was a time people would use the mask to trick their enemies in particular Counts of Lodrone, as it would be difficult to identify the authors of such gestures. To achieve a good disguising, all natural attitudes would change from walking to the voice. The mask, opposite from dancers, do appear even after Epiphany, Monday and Thursday before carnival. While dancers entertain people with their “aristocratic” dances during the two days of Carnival, streets are crowded with lots of masked people to cheer up this period. Typical dresses are also inherited as a tradition but have no particular features.

The Typical Dresses

Ceviòl
Men’s dress, made with heavy fustian cloth basically black or brown once worn by the ancestors. Composed by:
Knee length trousers with squared flaps with two buttons.
White collarless shirt.
Crozèt, short vest open in front.
White socks or spat, made from the same cloth of the dress laced laterally with a row of overcastted buttons.
“sgalbèr”, typical kind of shoes made of wood and leather. When walking, produce a particular sound, which turns into the typical carnival noise.
Face is covered with a mask, on head it is used either a hut or a scarf.

Guèrnèl
Female dress consist in a long heavy cloth skirt, dark and raw, hand loomed as with the “gèdè” (apron). The dress is finished up with a short bodice (with our without sleeves), a white shirt, long underwear and a big handkerchief or scarf with floral design. The scarf could be worn either to cover head or only the shoulders, always cross tied in front under the apron. Shoes worn by women are “sopèi”, clogs with wooden sole, with white socks for the single woman, red socks for the married and violet socks for the elder ones.

Distinguishing Features

When the masks go along the streets carry with them different instruments from the ancient kind of living, always related with the land and work. Bows, pitchforks, bird traps (èrchècc), rakes, walking sticks, wicker baskets, bells (ciochè dèlè ache). Some mask put on head a sort of sack, called “bèstèrèl” and a basket where a “baby” sleeps.

Mask usually do their rounds in small groups, making jokes to the spectators, tricks are mostly sexually oriented. As a tradition, when the mask are near “cuè – cuè” must be shouted, meaning the mask are drunk. This may cause the masks anger, making them to go further with the jokes taking the peasant from the arm and “throw” him into the fountain.

This tradition is no longer used but in the past this carnival joke would delight children, and was a must that couldn’t be lost. Some decades ago, the Mask would appear extraordinary out of the Carnival period.

This would happen during autumn, when girls would go “a sèstè” (for baskets) for manuring the soil. At night time, as ancient tradition, young men would mask and joyfully, in spite of all the road to do, would walk to the farm house to court the girls. It was a nice occasion to talk, funny advances and eat roasted chestnut while attending the Carnival.

The Zuavi Companion

From testimony collected it’s a fact that a special local companion did exist, called “The Zuavi”. The Zuavi, disappeared shortly after the big war, would perform the same dances as the Dancers wearing a different custom. The male figure would use a white or a red and white with moustache mask. Pants were wide and knee height with coloured strips. The elder peasants recall they would look like the harlequin. The jacket had a big pointed neck and the shoulder bag tied on hips. The female figure had the face covered with a white mask, while the dress, white and hand loomed, consisted in a skirt and a shirt ending curly on wrist. Socks were two-colour for both male and female. Regarding the hut, some people says it was beige, with flowers and small ribbons pinned here and there. Others recall only a multicolour strip. It is presumed this companion disappeared for two reasons: the first one was economical, due poorness at that time it was almost impossible to afford all fancy details such dress would require considering it was a single use dress as it wouldn’t happen with the Dancers custom. The second reason may be that such fancy hut used by Dancers diminished in beauty the Zuavi custom. Probably and old chest preserves hidden an original dress, that could be used to recreate, observing tradition, a new companion.

The “Paiasso”

Another figure that must be recalled is the Paiasso. Witnesses agree that this character was dressed “by chance”, could have coloured cloth strips pinned over the dress here and there. Role played wasn’t minimal, would help the Head Dancer to keep order, kept away people that wanted to be too close to the dancers. The Paiasso had the duty to give wine to the dancers, would go around with a basket used as a backpack full with wine to offer his needed friends.

Conclusion

Following this ancient and unaffected tradition, the Carnival progress across the town streets in a suggestive scenery of old houses and lanes that at Bagolino keeps untouched it’s own charm. Carnival overtakes appearance, overtakes the divergence from faith to scene considering the erotic insinuation of this carnival thru its dances.

As Seccamani recalls the contradiction of behave and feelings of the people from Bagolino, kept and fed by the millenarian difficulties: “takes root in conscience the stoic need to overcome events, to express with art the difficulties of living, specially living in such a blooming as well as isolated land”. The Carnival felt and lived as a symbol of force from the mysterious and irrational regeneration of existence or as a symbol of the luxuriant season of youth. Deep inside in the Bagoss spirit, living in such a perfect symbiosis with faith, recognition and overall and to live the daily activities in Christ.

The celebrations offered by the Carnival every year is an open invitation to emigrated Bagoss people as well as tourist. The Carnival is lived by the Bagoss as a personal expression, to revive centuries of tradition. Spectators are welcome, provided they respect local uses.