The Carnival of Yesteryear in Barigazzo

A Dive into the Carnival of the Early 20th Century

In Barigazzo, a hamlet of the Municipality of Lama Mocogno (Province of Modena, Emilia-Romagna), time seems to stand still one Sunday a year. "E Caranval d'na volta" — the Carnival of yesteryear, in Modenese dialect — is a historical re-enactment that brings residents and visitors back to the early 20th century, when Carnival was above all a moment of conviviality in the hamlets of the village: musicians and dancers moved from house to house, bringing joy from door to door.

The History and Revival of a Tradition

The roots of this festival date back to the late 19th century, when Carnival enlivened the Apennine hamlets with dances, songs, and good wine. After decades of interruption, the tradition was brought back to life in 2018 by the Barigazzo Historical Folk Group, an association founded in 2015 that brings together about seventy members, almost all the inhabitants of the hamlet. The reconstruction was made possible by the testimonies of the elders and old period photographs, which allowed for the recovery of long-forgotten costumes, dances, and customs.

Only Period Costumes: No Modern Outfits

What makes this Carnival unique is the strict rule on clothing: modern costumes are strictly forbidden. Women parade in long dresses and white lace aprons, girls wear shawls; men wear the festive attire of their grandfathers, with a jacket or simple shirt, the tabarro (the local traditional cloak), a hat, and sturdy mountain boots. Every detail is carefully crafted to faithfully recreate the atmosphere of a century ago.

Music, Dances, and Mountain Specialties

The procession is accompanied by musicians performing ancient dance tunes on violins, mandolins, accordions, and bagpipes. The dances, characteristically "jumping" rather than shuffling, also tell the stories of emigration from these lands, with influences from Austria and Spain. Along the route, there are Apennine traditional specialties: chestnut cakes, frappe, lupini beans, crescentine (fried bread), and mulled wine, offered to all participants.

A Community Celebration

"E Caranval d'na volta" is not a show staged for tourists, but a celebration that the community of Barigazzo holds primarily for itself, to preserve the memory of a rural and mountain world. For this reason, it is one of the most authentic and evocative re-enactments in the Modenese Apennines, part of the broader panorama of Historical Carnivals of Emilia-Romagna.