The Battle of the Oranges .The Historical Ivrea Carnival
filled by Giulia & Romeo
For centuries in Ivrea there is a tradition celebrated every year for a few days, giving the magic of living in another time and in another dimension. It’s not the classic carnival, masks and stremers... It 's a painting with vivid colors in which you can timidly enter for the first time and then you fall in love with the atmosphere and you’ll look forward to join to the next edition. History and legend are mixed to create a show of tradition and excitement ... until the last orange!
The famous and spectacular Battle of the Oranges, moment of great involvement and strong emotion, is the evocation of popular rebellion against tyranny. In the battle the people, represented by the orange thrower on foot in the street without any protection, fights with strokes of orange against the armies of the Baron.. All citizens and visitors, from Maundy Thursday, down the street wearing the Phrygian cap, a red hat shaped like a sock , the symbol of the ideal adherence to revolt and then the desire for freedom, as it was for the protagonists of the French Revolution. (don’t worry if you forgive to wear a red hat: in these days there are street sellers with mono product! And with a few euros you get your cap). The battle moves through the main squares and streets of the city. Each group is made up of dozens of orange thrower - men and women - ranging assault on the wagon that passes from the square trying to hit opponents especially on the protective mask, so that the juice of the oranges come in their eyes. They wear colorful costumes with bells tied to the ankles and waist coats.
The heroine of the feast is the daughter of Miller, that for the tradition didn’t want to be subject to jus pimae noctis of the Baron who starve the city, and so she turned on the popular uprising. A special committee notes, in the three days of its development, the tide of battle and award a prize to walk bands and floats from the jet that they are more distinct for passion loyalty and technique.
The beauty of this festival is that we are all involved, not just people involved in the show organization. Each visitor will enter automatically into the history and tradition, not without the adrenaline that invests everyone for the fear of being hit by oranges! We recommend to be careful, to wear old clothes because they may smear, and, for the most fearful, to remain behind the protective network, created especially for those who wish to remain absolutely quiet! Have a fun!
And over the party ... on Ash Wednesday, in the district Borghetto, polenta and cod for all, by Croatia Committee
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