Carnival: Battle of the Oranges
Italian Orange Festival: February 2009 in Ivrea, Piedmont
Jan 26, 2007
The medieval town of Ivrea, near Turin in Piedmont, comes alive in February. Its historic carnival commemorates the rebellion of the people against a tyrant who ruled the town in the middle ages. It gives a new twist to Italian cuisine by culminating in the symbolic – and messy – Battles of the Oranges.
During the carnival the streets are lit up and filled with the scent of oranges. And regional specialities are served in the streets – particularly fagioli grassi (fat beans). These are enormous pots of beans, boiled with sausages and pork rind. They’re served free. Other speciality dishes include cod with polenta, and delicious carnival pastries. Italian wines on offer include white Erbaluce, sparkling Barbera and sweet Passito di Caluso.
The Carnival of Ivrea draws on legends of the 12th-century. It’s said to be the only Carnival in the world that has a real plot and tells a story featuring idealised and historic figures – rather than carnival characters.
The Carnival of Ivrea mixes fact and fiction. It had its origins in the middle ages, when a tyrant Raineri di Biandrate became lord of the town. In 1194 the people, rebelled against his cruel regime - and destroyed his castle. He was later replaced by another tyrant, the Marquis Gugliemo of Monferrato – and the people rebelled again. Over the years they’ve become merged into one ‘baddy’ and their downfall is celebrated in the Battles of the Oranges - which take place in the town squares. Those who throw oranges from carts symbolise the tyrants’ guards – and those on foot, the rebels.
The story goes that Raineri gave himself the right to sleep with any bride on her wedding night: jus primae noctis. Legend has it that he got his punishment when Violetta, the beautiful daughter of a miller, refused to sleep with him, cut off his head with a dagger and showed it to the people gathered beneath the castle walls. She’s known as the Mugnaia – and is the heroine of the carnival.
So why oranges? Well, originally the people threw beans. However, around the 19th century girls began to throw oranges – a precious fruit that isn’t native to Ivrea – at boys they fancied. And if the boys liked them – they threw an orange back. Today it’s a contest, with rules and town teams.
All the different districts of the town used to celebrate the Carnival of Ivrea separately – and the mock battles sometimes turned violent. So when Napoleon took control of that part of Italy in 1808 he declared there could only be one event – and the organisers had to wear Napoleonic army uniform. The French influence is celebrated in the carnival today – and if you want to avoid the flying oranges you wear a red hat, like a French revolutionary.
The carnival begins in January but starts in earnest early in February 2009. A torch-light procession leaves the Town Hall with the Mugnaia and orange-throwers. After that the battles commence in the town squares. The main battles are on the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of February - with the final battle on 24th February.
For more information and how to get there - click here
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