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FESTIVALS AND LOCAL TRADITIONS
The isolation which the Garfagnana has suffered, the past
full of history and the character of the people living here have
determined the survival of the ancient traditions and customs, which
still today are preserved in the local folklore.
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 As
in other rural areas in Tuscany, it is in the Garfagnana a tradition
to celebrate the month of May, which is here remembered with home-made
customs and "battles" between different armies. At the end
good wins over evil, but above all it is the extraordinary vitality
of the people here who triumph, thanks to the music and poems that
accompany the representations. The Garfagnana also celebrates Christmas
with bonfires that in Gorfigliano becomes an opportunity to a competition
between the different quarters. The bonfire which emits the highest
flames (the heaps of wood reach 20 metres) wins.
The local tradition for the night of the 4th of January says that
it is the men that have to dress like witches and fill the children's
socks with sweets. At Castiglione di Garfagnana the inhabitants carry
out one of the most interesting representations in the whole Garfagnana.
The evening of Thursday before Easter , along the streets of the village
there is the Processione de' Procioni, with a person who represents
Jesus, dressed with a tunic under the weight of the cross as all the
other people in the procession. At Vaglia di Sopra, you can see the
very suggestive holy representation of the Passion of Christ, called
the Tragedia di Vagli by the locals.
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