Valduggia Carnival

The historic carnival of Valduggia

In the heart of the upper Valsesia, in the province of Vercelli and the Piedmont region, the Valduggia Carnival is much more than a simple village festival: it is a collective ritual that every winter restores Valduggia's most playful and popular identity. The event revolves around two historic masks, King Zors and his queen Marjin, who embody the mocking yet affectionate spirit with which the community tells its own story.

The origins: from 1955 to today

The carnival was born in 1955, when Roberto Comoli and a group of young locals decided to create a carnival troupe for the village. Comoli was the first to portray King Zors, a role he held for only one year before it passed to Innocenzo Mazzola. Since then, the tradition has never stopped, passed down from generation to generation by the Valduggia Carnival Committee, which still organizes the entire season of festivities today.

King Zors takes the keys to the town

The opening of the carnival is the most symbolic moment: at the town hall, the mayor hands over the keys to the town to King Zors, who becomes the burlesque sovereign of Valduggia for the duration of the festival. A large and lively procession gathers around the masks, where local satire targets events, personalities, and small town affairs with good-natured irony every year.

The neighborhoods take center stage

The beating heart of the festival are the neighborhoods of Valduggia and its hamlets, which challenge each other and parade with their groups and colors:

• Bragaceit of Invozio
• Famai of Orcarale
• Gait of Lebbia
• Aigule of Rastiglione

Dance parties at the multipurpose hall, children's balls, and masquerade evenings mark the weeks of carnival, while traditional gastronomy — above all the famous tripe and beans with sausage — accompanies the community's convivial moments.

The grand finale of Shrove Tuesday

The carnival closes on the night of Shrove Tuesday with its most evocative ritual: the torchlight procession, the reading of King Zors' will — the traditional version of which was written by the historic figure Tito Rizzio — the awarding of the Palio among the neighborhoods, and finally the burning of King Zors, who goes up in flames amidst fireworks, marking the end of the festivities. Part of the broader tradition of Valsesian carnivals, the Valduggia Carnival is an unmissable event for those who want to experience authentic and popular Piedmont.