Deer Man Rite (Gl'Cierv) — Castelnuovo al Volturno Carnival

Gl'Cierv, a myth become history

In Castelnuovo al Volturno, a small hamlet of Rocchetta a Volturno in the province of Isernia, a rite that seems to come from a distant time is renewed on the last Sunday of Carnival: the Deer Man Rite, "Gl'Cierv" in the local dialect. It is a pantomime that stages the capture and taming of a wild creature, half man and half deer, a symbol of the ancestral relationship between man and nature in the agro-pastoral culture of Alto Molise.

A Carnival that looks to Europe

In recent years, the rite has opened up to dialogue with other major European carnival traditions, hosting masks from all over the continent: in 2026, the Survakari from the Carnival of Pernik in Bulgaria (UNESCO heritage) and the Mamuthones and Issohadores from the Carnival of Mamoiada in Sardinia are expected. The Mask Museum, enriched each year with new acquisitions, preserves and passes down the knowledge related to ritual masks.

Two days of celebration

The event spans two days, featuring conferences, workshops, exhibitions, a spectacular fire dance, and concerts, culminating on Sunday with the parade of European masks accompanied by the accordion orchestra and, finally, the Deer Man Rite. An event that makes Castelnuovo al Volturno one of the symbolic places of traditional Italian Carnival.