Festival of "Lumere" means pumpkins lit, snacks and entertainment for children and farmer's market...
The tradition comes from far away - the night of All Saints - where, in the Lombardy countryside, they used to create figures and masks that reminded the skulls, to exorcise the idea of death in the days when the worlds of the living and of the dead came into communication.
To create these representations of the dead, the "materials" favorites were the pumpkins that, because of their shape and internal natural cavity, were perfect to get fearful faces and to be illuminated.
For the Celts this period represented the end of the cycle of the year and the beginning of the new. The Celts were a people dedicated to sheep; in this period, in fact, driven by the first snows, they reported livestock downstream. It was the time of the last harvest, the one composed of apples and chestnuts and in which ended the summer.
It was the last chance to party before the long winter, which would lead them to difficult months and silent, where you would be dedicated to the preparation of tools, instruments and survival care.
The Celts were divided into many clans and often lived away because they were engaged in the defense of their lands, or the conquest of new pastures. This festival, then, was the only time when all clan members were summoned to meetings.
It was a time when the bonds were made stronger. It was so important that anyone who had not been presented at the meeting would be considered "dead" by the clan for a year and a day, until the following year's festival. Moreover, it was thought that nothing and no one, otherwise, could have prevented to participate in the rally.
Once assembled it counted the cattle and evaluated how many leaders would be able to survive the winter, due to hay stocks available. The other animals were butchered and divided equally among all the families of the clan, thus ensuring everyone to face the most difficult season, the snow and frost. The blood was used to mix the pudding, which was consumed during the festivities.
It was also lit a sacred fire with the use of wood, also considered sacred by the Druids. In the huts all extinguished the fire, to indicate the end of a cycle, and went to the Holy Fire to get the new Flame, which would bring new light and energy in their homes.
In these traditions have their roots in the "lamp carried around", the food and drink to share and the cult of the dead, as for the Celts respect and devotion to the ancestors was indispensable. On these nights, considered magical, the veil between the worlds was, in fact, "thinner" and it was possible to feel the presence of the souls of ancestors.
original articles:
first part from: Festa delle Lumere - second part by: Sara Gamberoni
Special Event:
-La Notte delle Lumere (in one of the Valbossa village)
-Festa delle Lumere (as photo)