Epiphany in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia

At dusk on 6th January in the Adriatic Alps, the night sky is lit by bonfires to celebrate Pignarûi, in a ritual that dates back to pre-Christian times. Fire lighting was originally a Celtic tradition when, just after the winter solstice, it symbolised giving thanks to the God Baleno (God of Fire) for the outgoing year and requested a favourable season in the new year.

Today Pignarûl still symbolises the desire to throw out the old and bring in the new, represented by the ceremonial burning of Befana the elderly Witch. Befana, much loved by Italian children, appears on the night of Epiphany bringing sweets to the good children and coal to the naughty ones! During Pignarûl her figure is placed on top of the bonfire and the direction of the smoke is interpreted as an omen for the season ahead.
Tarcento, known as the ‘Pearl of Friulli’, has played a leading role in maintaining the traditions of this festival and been at the heart of the region’s celebrations for 81 years. It is here that the lighting of Pignarûl Grant takes place, the largest of all the Friuli fires and the highlight of the event, preceded by a series of rituals taking place on the Eve of Epiphany.

The rituals are led by the “Pignarulârs”, the protagonists of this festival who, as the sun sets on 5th January, take to the stage to re-enact the tale which is narrated by the ‘vecchio venerando’ or ‘venerable old man’, half druid, half priest. Torches are lit from a brazier, burning at the church door, and there follows a torch lit procession through the town, followed by a chariot race with representatives of the surrounding villages competing to win the cup.

The following day a parade is held where local people dress up in 13th century costumes to re-enact the ritual that took place in 1290. Here the ‘old man’ tells historical tales to the children and the Christian story of the three wise men, before summoning the children to follow him to climb up to the ruins of, Castle Frangipane, the local castle where a huge fire is lit. Finally, studying the flame’s direction he makes a prediction about the New Year ahead.

There is one more Epiphany tradition, of Celtic origin, tied to the lighting of fires, the launch of the ‘Cidulas’. These are round pieces of wood, 8-10 centimetres in diameter and about 3cm thick. On the night of Epiphany they are set alight and thrown into the sky by young conscripts. The first ‘cidule’ is devoted to St. John, the next ones are devoted to engaged couples, whose names are recited as the discs are thrown into the air, and the last is devoted to St. Peter and St. Paul.