Carnival in the province of Naples

Acerra, in the heart of Campania, celebrates its historic Carnival every year, a unique tradition that culminates on Shrove Tuesday.

The protagonist of the Carnival is Vecienzo: poor and deeply in debt, he lives by his wits until he dies tragicomically, choking on a meatball.His death becomes the focus of a community ritual called 'a chiagnuta 'e Vecienzo Carnevale, in which his virtues are remembered amidst the sounds of tammorra frame drums and castanets. Beside him, symbolically transformed into an effigy displayed on a funeral bier set up in courtyards or farmyards, sits Vecenza, the mourning wife, who accompanies the funeral of Carnival. On the morning of Shrove Tuesday, the puppets are displayed for passers-by to see, while in the afternoon, women and children from the neighbourhood gather around the coffin to lament, following ancient rituals similar to those of real funeral rites. The evening continues with a procession in which men dressed as women enact the funeral rites, keeping the tradition alive.

The parade is accompanied by the representation of the "Months", staged in the streets of the city and expressing the values of the Acerrana community, which celebrates the cycle of life, death and rebirth of nature, recalling ancient rural practices and the archaic meanings of Carnival as a time of reversal and renewal. 

The Carnival of Palma Campania is one of the most evocative folk events in Campania, characterised by the choreographed performance of the Quadriglie, masked groups composed of more than 200 participants.

These large ensembles bring a theme to the stage and interpret it by singing, dancing and playing as they cross the city streets. At the head of each Quadriglia is a master, who leads the brass band with bass drum and cymbals, while also coordinating the quadriglianti, who play triccaballacche (clapper percussion), tamburella frame drums, and scetavajasse (traditional rattles).

There are nine Quadriglie and they prepare throughout the year, keeping alive a collective ritual whose roots date back to the 17th century. 

The Carnival opens on 17 January, with "Sant'Antuono maschere e suon'", amidst bonfires, the blessing of animals and typical dishes.

Two Sundays before Shrove Tuesday, the preliminary parade takes place through the "Quadrigliodromi", revealing themes and costumes.

The previous week is dedicated to rehearsals of the "Canzoniere" at the Village of the Quadriglie. On the Sunday before Shrove Tuesday, the Quadriglie parade again to the central stage in Piazza Mercato. 

The culmination of the festival is the "Canzoniere" on Shrove Tuesday: each Quadriglia performs in a circle with the maestro in the centre.

The event concludes with the award of the Gonfalone Aragonese to the winning Quadriglia, which is honoured for its music, costumes, choreography, and direction, and earns the engraving of a commemorative steel star displayed in Piazza de Martino.

Documented as early as 1859, the Carnival of Palma preserves a tradition handed down by families, schools and artisans: tailors, carpenters, blacksmiths, musicians, fashion designers and set designers work all year round to create costumes and sets, transforming Palma Campania into a creative atelier on open display.

The Carnival of Pomigliano is an ancient and fascinating tradition inspired by rural culture and the cycle of the seasons. It is divided into four main performances – "La Canzone di Zeza" (The Song of Zeza), "Gli Antichi Mestieri" (The Ancient Trades), "I Dodici Mesi" (The Twelve Months) and "Pianto a Morto" (Lament for the Dead) – which bring farms, courtyards and squares to life with improvised actors, neighbourhood troupes, music and irony.

Born in the late 15th century and having survived periods of censorship, Carnival has found new life thanks to the revival work of masters Giovanni Sgammato and Marcello Colasurdo, leading figures in popular culture, who have philologically reconstructed the texts, music, and masks. "La Canzone di Zeza" stages the marriage between Vicenzella and Don Nicola, with a symbolic plot that associates Pulcinella with winter and Zeza with spring, in a cycle of seasons and rebirth. "Gli Antichi Mestieri" bring back to life figures from the rural world that have now disappeared, such as the ricotta maker, the tinsmith, and the incense seller, evoking a past shaped by manual labour and artisanal knowledge.

"I Dodici Mesi" depicts the agricultural year with its products, labours, tools and love stories, guided by the old Marcusalemme, a gruff and biblical character.

The Carnival ends with the "Pianto a Morto", a parody funeral of Vincenzo Carnevale, celebrated with exaggerated wailing by wives, lovers, children and public figures, transforming mourning into theatre and satire.

The Pomigliano Carnival recounts a world of tradition, irony and belonging, where street theatre meets collective memory and the city is transformed into a huge stage.

The Festival begins on 17 January, the feast day of Saint Anthony Abbot (Sant'Antuono), with the fucaroni – large ritual bonfires which, by symbolically burning away the old, usher in a new time. From that moment on, the celebration accompanies the city until Carnival Tuesday, when the event reaches its climax. On this occasion, thirteen floats and numerous masked groups invade the streets amid choreography, music and dynamic processional performances, transforming Saviano into a large open-air theatre. The roots of the tradition date back to the early decades of the 20th century, when carts decorated with flowers, bands, and popular groups staged the "Zeza", the "Cavalcata dei Mesi", the "Laccio d'Amore", and carnival funerals.

After the war, the Carnival was renewed thanks to local personalities such as Fedele De Marino, with exotic funeral processions, local Zeza performances and improvised shows that animated the districts. The turning point came in 1979, when in the Sant'Erasmo district, Maestro Nicola Strocchia introduced the modern idea of a float pulled and followed by a large group of masked people.

In 1981, the festival was officially recognised as a city institution and began a path of growth that would take it from the local area to regional, national and international fame.

Today, the Carnival of Saviano is structured into thirteen districts, each engaged in the design and construction of its own float by highly specialised artisans. The Carnival of Saviano foundation coordinates the organisation, supported by float committees and cultural associations.

In Ischia, in the municipality of Forìo, the Monterone Carnival is staged. The festival originated in the sixteenth century, when the Carnevaletti were held, days dedicated to Eucharistic adoration as a form of penance for the excesses of the carnival period. 

One of the festive features that distinguish the event is the band, which uses traditional farming tools as instruments: cowbells and hoes.

The procession, composed of the townspeople and the band in official uniform, accompanies the Carnival Prince through the streets of the town: a richly decorated puppet, celebrated during the parade and then burned at the end of the evening in a ritual with a strong propitiatory value.

Carnival in Monterone sees strong popular participation, with knowledge and traditions passed down orally from generation to generation. A fundamental role is played by young people, who engage with the tradition by building musical instruments or working with papier-mâché.