For many villages in the valley, the carnival represents a moment of
social cohesion, where most citizens are involved. There are two
kinds of traditional carnival: historical and ritual.
The historical carnival recalls
past events and situations.
The most important celebrations
occur in the following places:
Verrés, where an
interesting XVcentury
situation is recalled: Earl
Francois de Challant
bequeathed his feud to his
daughter Catherine, against
the rules of the time, as he
had no sons. His relatives
contested his will in front
of the Earl of Savoy and
attacked Catherine. The
countess, in order to
protect herself, tried to
gain the people's support,
participating to a popular
ball with her husband Pierre
Sarriod, Earl of Introd, and
then inviting everyone to
her castle. Actually the end
was prosaic (Catherine gave
up her feud to new owners),
however the carnival recalls
the moment when the Countess
opened the rooms of her
castle to the people. For
Verrés citizens it is an
honour to impersonate the
main characters of the event
The programme of the
celebration also includes a
performance, in the castle
hall, of the comedy "A game
of Chess" by Giuseppe
Giacosa;
Pont-Saint-Martin,
where, since 1910,
historical recalls and
echoes of ancient legends
meet together. The
historical part concerns the
defeat of the Salassi by the
Romans, giving the loser a
chance of revenge in a match
called "delle bighe", that
once again sets natives
against invaders. Another
part of the carnival is
inspired by the legend of
the nymph of the stream Lys.
Angry with the inhabitants,
she swelled the river in
order to destroy the
village, but, when the flood
reached the roman bridge, it
did no harm thanks to
people's prayers. On Shrove
Thursday Eve, an effigy of
the devil (by whom,
according to another legend,
the bridge was built) is
hanged to the only arch of
the bridge and burned with
extraordinary effect.
Playing the role of the
nymph is, for the village
girls, a privilege they will
never forget;
Nus, Quart and the Saint
Martin neighbourhood in
Aosta: here, too, carnival
recalls historical events of
the Middle Ages and
aristocratic characters of
the respective areas.
On the other hand, ritual
carnival is typical of the San
Bernardo Valley, the so-called
"Coumba freida" ("cold valley",
because of the cold wind that
blows for most part of the
year). Here the ritual of
carnival includes the "benda"
parade, a group of
mask-characters of ancient
origin, who visit the village
houses, where they are welcome
with sweets, local food and
drinks. The main mask-characters
are the following:
"Gueda" or "ensign",
with moustache and glasses,
that leads the procession,
hoisting the carnival flag
and playing a trumpet;
"Harlequin" : usually
dressed with colorful coat
and trousers, decorated with
mirrors and bells, he wears
a top-hat with flowers and
small mirrors and holds a
tinkling stick in his hand;
the "Maid of Honour":
Harlequin's companion in the
parade, a young female
character, whose role was
once played by a man; she
wears a smart dress,
enriched with embroidery,
braids and laces;
"Landzettes": their
costumes are in different
colors, depending on the
village (for example, in
Doues and Allein they are
red), and are decorated with
mirrors and small pearls;
they wear a Napoleonic-style
hat, a mask (once wooden,
today plastic), a belt with
bells and hold a horse tail
in their hands. According to
some people, these
characters have been
inspired by the Napoleonic
Army that, in 1800 crossed
the Gran S. Bernardo
mountain pass, directed to
Marengo;
The Bear, symbol of
nature's awakening from a
long winter sleep; in a few
"bende" parades, there are
also small bears, obviously
interpreted by children;
"Lo Diablo" (the devil):
strictly wearing a red
cloak, mask, horns and
pitchfork, he is a symbol of
strength and vigour;
"Lo Toc" and "La Toca":
they represent a couple of
simpletons. Traditionally,
carnival began with a
particular marriage: as the
couple was very poor, their
guests turned up oddly
dressed, in order to avoid
the couple's embarrassment.
The town of Saint-Vincent is
peculiar: during the carnival
period, children take care of
some administrative jobs; income
from their fines are given to
charity.
Moreover, snow-carnivals are
organized in some of the
Valley's skiing resorts.
