Calin di Maggio (Carlin di Maggio)

A Night of Songs Through the Centuries

The Calin di Maggio (or Carlin di Maggio) is the great May Song quest that takes place in Marsaglia, a hamlet of the Municipality of Corte Brugnatella, in the heart of the upper Trebbia Valley, in the province of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna. On the long night between April 30th and May 1st, singers walk through the village from house to house to announce the arrival of the good season with song, wishing prosperity and receiving eggs, wine, cured meats, and small offerings collected in baskets in return.

The Singers and Music of the Four Provinces

The animators of the evening are the canterini, a group of singers, traditionally all men, organized like the typical polyphonic choir of the Trebbia Valley, characterized by intervals of thirds. They are recognizable by their neckerchiefs and straw hats. The accompaniment of the piffero, the ancient folk oboe, is essential, joined by the accordion and often the müsa, the Apennine bagpipe. It is the same musical language of the Four Provinces region (Piacenza, Pavia, Genoa, and Alessandria), whose Trebbia Valley shares a repertoire of songs and dances.

How the Quest Unfolds

The meeting point is in Piazza Severino Balletti, in front of the Corte Brugnatella town hall, where the mayor calls the singers by name and the administrators offer their greetings. From there, the procession sets off: singers in front, followed by musicians, villagers, and, at the end, a small vehicle to collect offerings. The group stops in front of inhabited houses, visiting almost all of them, without neglecting hamlets and hamlets, until three or four in the morning. The tradition has its roots in the parishes of Ozzola, Pieve di Montarsolo, Confiente, Brugnello, and Marsaglia Vecchia.

Symbols and Meaning

• Eggs: A symbol of rebirth and renewal of nature, they are the quintessential gift exchanged for songs of good omen.
• Laburnum: With its yellow flowers, it accompanies the singers and defines the colors of the festival, the green and gold of the banner.
• Carlin di Maggio: The personification of May that gives the festival its name, an echo of ancient fertility rites linked to the cycle of the seasons.

A Tradition That Endures

The "modern" edition has been promoted as a cultural event since 1981, when the municipal administration transformed a spontaneous rite "lost in the mists of time" into an organized popular manifestation. Thanks to a still-compact social fabric, polyphonic singing in Marsaglia is now practiced by people of all ages, and learning still takes place in taverns, from generation to generation. The Marsaglia group also participates in the Interregional Review of Cantamaggio in Santo Stefano d'Aveto along with other choirs from the Four Provinces.