Tricarico Carnival

A pastoral rite from afar

The Tricarico Carnival, in dialect L Mashkr, is one of the most fascinating and ancient events in Basilicata, and among the most recognized historical carnivals in all of Southern Italy. Its origins are lost in the folds of the Middle Ages, when shepherds and drovers celebrated the transition from winter to spring; some scholars trace its roots back to forms of syncretism between Greek and Lucanian culture. In 2009, Tricarico and its masks became part of the FECC, the European Federation of Carnival Cities.

The cow and bull masks

The heart of the festival are the anthropozoomorphic masks representing a herd in transhumance. The cow mask consists of a wide-brimmed hat covered with a scarf and veil, richly adorned with long multicolored ribbons that reach the ankles; the bull mask is identical in structure but entirely black with some red ribbons. Each mask wears a cowbell, different in shape and sound depending on whether it is a cow or a bull: the figures imitate the gait and movements of the animals, including the symbolic "mounts" of the bulls on the cows. It is not an abstract re-enactment: Tricarico is still located on a transhumance route today.

The procession and the "Quaremma"

The parade crosses the historic center to Piazza Garibaldi, accompanied by spontaneous masks and allegorical floats. The festival ends with a moment of strong ritual value: the burning of the effigy and the "weeping of Quaremma", which symbolically marks the farewell to Carnival and the entry into Lent.

A shared memory

Organized by the Pro Loco of Tricarico with the support of the Municipality of Tricarico (Province of Matera), the Carnival is experienced by the community as a "shared memory", capable of uniting popular tradition and collective participation. It is an opportunity to discover a village with an Arab-Norman layout, suspended among the Lucanian hills.