Carnival dates back to ancient pagan festivals held in various parts of Europe during the winter months. These festivals celebrated the end of winter and the beginning of spring and involved feasting, drinking, and other forms of merrymaking. This year, my family and I visited the Carnival of Savogna d'Isonzo, an annual festival that takes place in the town of Savogna d'Isonzo, located in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in Italy, right next to the border with Slovenia.
This vibrant and colorful celebration is a significant event in the town's calendar, attracting locals and visitors from near and far. This year was the 24th edition of the carnival, after a long pause due to the pandemic.
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Today, Carnival is celebrated in many parts of the world, from the Caribbean to Europe and South America. It is still a time when people come together to celebrate life, community and the joy of living. Although the traditions and customs of Carnival vary from place to place, the spirit of celebration and togetherness are still at the heart of this vibrant and colourful festival. What really surprised me was the number of young people, children and mostly teenagers, involved in the event. It is great to see that traditions are transmitted to younger generations and it gives hope that will last for many future years.
The parade takes place on the main road in the centre of the village, for a distance of about 1.5 km. As everything takes place along the main road and there is no central stage, the visitors are also spread out along the road and you can see the whole programme without having to fight for your piece of the view.
As I walked along the street, I could feel the energy and excitement of Carnival all around me. People of all ages were dressed in colourful costumes and the air was filled with music, laughter and cheering. As the parade slowly began to wind its way down the street, I was overwhelmed by the excitement and anticipation. The parade was wonderful, each one more intricate and creative than the last. The themes were varied and imaginative, from political satire to traditional folklore.
The work they invested in the costumes was huge. They really have nice costumes. I can only imagine the hours they spent sewing them. Majority of the groups have big carnival wagons, very attractive and nicely done.
But beside that every group had a small choreography, so they were all dancing the same dance and they repeated it a few times along the long street. Chapeau to all participants!
This year, 17 groups from nearby villages from Italy and Slovenia registered for the parade, totaling more than 1400 participants. They performed in the following order:
1.Carnival Flap Praprtot with their presentation "Our first 50"
2."Homo sapiens... are we going forward or backwards?" from the village of Kriz
3."Legolandrez" from the village of Standrez
4."All to hell" from the city of Gorizia
Maybe I missed them 😬, but they probably didn't perform 😦
5."Revenge of the Bees" from the village of Steverjan
6."Resort Poludovo" from the village of Sempeter
7."Desert Descending" from the village of Savogna d'Isonzo
8."The sky is beautiful" from the village of Ferlugi
9."Merry Chimney Sweepers" from the village of Poljane
10."Flying on the wings of ideas" from the towns of Sabotin and Stmaver
11."This world is all a circus" from the villages of Skala and Gabrje
12."Firefighters' feast" from the village of Cerovlje
13."Mountains around us" from the villages of Dob and Doberdo del Lago
14."Octo Carnival" from the village of Opatje Selo
15."Dancing on thin ice" from the villages of Tabor and Opcine
16."The Martians" from the town of Trzic
17."Falling Stars" from the village of Sempolaj
But the fun doesn't stop when the parade ends. In specially arranged event tents, the celebrations continue late into the night with plenty of live music and dancing, the only way to chase away winter and bring back spring.
So, tell me, who was your favourite 🎉🎉🎉
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