Salerno Carnivals

The roots of the Carnival of Agropoli lie in the rural traditions of Cilento, when the puppet "Carnuluvaro" was burned to symbolise the end of winter and the hope for fertility in the fields. Today, that spirit of joy and sharing lives on in the community aspect of the event, which brings together people of all ages and lets them discover age-old traditions reinterpreted in a modern way. Since 1965, the parades have taken their present form, and since the 1980s, the programme has been enriched with folk performances and shows.

In the months leading up to the festival, the city comes alive thanks to the tireless work of hundreds of volunteers involved in the design and construction of the floats. The families of the float-makers pass down techniques and knowledge from generation to generation, keeping the essence of this tradition alive. The workshops are filled with a creative atmosphere of papier-mâché, colours and collaboration, while imposing structures that can reach thirteen metres in height take shape. When the parades finally arrive, the town centre is filled with music, costumes and visitors attracted by the festive atmosphere.

Since 2001, the pirate "Kajardin" has become the official symbol of the event, making it even more recognisable.

For its cultural and social value, the Carnival has won European awards, confirming its role as an ambassador of Cilento culture.

The Carnival of Aquara is a tradition deeply rooted in the local community, with origins dating back to the period after the Second World War. In ancient times, the symbolic marriage celebrated during the festival represented the hope of abundance and well-being for the entire community, while the ritual death of "Carnaluvaru" exorcised uncertainties and negativity.

The event draws inspiration from the rural world: the masks portray the months of the year and the four seasons, parading on donkey back and wearing simple costumes connected to rural life. This ritual recalls the propitiatory function of the agricultural Carnival, when the end of winter and the beginning of spring announced the fertility of the fields.

A distinctive element of the Aquara tradition is the use of disguise to subvert hierarchies and social roles, giving a voice to the people and ridiculing figures of power. This custom is known in the local dialect as "acciaharia" and includes characters such as Pulcinella, the Captain, the Doctor and the Priest. The local population retains a deep awareness of the cultural value of Carnival, which is experienced not merely as a celebration but as a moment of memory, identity, and the transmission of knowledge.

The event ends with the awarding of the "golden mask", an award given to those who have contributed over time to the protection and transmission of this collective heritage.

The "Carnival of the Poor" is a popular event that brings the streets of the Ariano hamlet in Olevano sul Tusciano to life every year, culminating on Shrove Tuesday. The procession is led by "New Year", the Father, on horseback, followed by the Sons on donkeyback, who sing the nursery rhymes of the twelve months. Each month comes to life through songs and gestures, telling the story of nature's cycle: from January, sheltering itself from the cold, to December, heralding Christmas, passing through April's blossoming, June's harvest, and September's fruits. This ritual celebrates the passage of time, the rhythm of agricultural life and continuity between generations.

The procession involves young people, adults and children, uniting grandparents, children and grandchildren in a deep bond with historical memory and the community. The festival culminates in the "Funerale di Carnevale" ("Funeral of Carnival"), a theatrical performance that recounts the death of Carnival amidst quarrels with Lent, ailments due to the abundance of food, and even an attempt to save him by wise doctors, culminating in the reading of his will.

The origins of the event date back at least to the 1930s. The first photographic evidence is from 1942. The Carnival of the Poor survives thanks to oral transmission, school projects, and the collection of interviews and video-photographic archives, thus becoming not merely a festival but a cultural experience that brings together history, tradition, and community participation.

'A Maschkarata is the ancient carnival of San Mauro Cilento, which brings the town to life on Shrove Tuesday and on the last Sunday of Carnival. The event is a veritable travelling theatrical performance, inspired by commedia dell'arte (Italian improvised theatre) and organised in a popular, community-based way, with a capocomico (lead actor) acting as director, setting out roles, dialogue, and stage timing passed down orally. The procession actively involves the audience, who are involved in the show amidst jokes and fun.

The main masks – Pulcinella, the Brides, the Volante (the "Swift One") and the Turk, the Devil, the Hunter, Cannuluvàro and Quaresima – enliven the squares and streets of the town's two hamlets (Casali), performing comic and absurd scenes. The storyline follows the adventures of Pulcinella and his daughters, the Brides, who are threatened by the priest and rescued with the help of the Volante and the Turk, while the Hunters single out unsuspecting spectators for pranks and symbolic mock pursuits. The episodes culminate with the entry of Cannuluvàro, a straw puppet that symbolises excess and is burnt at the end of the parade, recalling archaic rituals at the end of Carnival.

The roots of the Maschkarata date back to the 18th century, with influences from the Atellan Farces, Greek and Latin comic theatre and the Roman Saturnalia, while the earliest photographic evidence is from the 1970s. Costumes, masks and materials are now preserved in the Eleousa Museum and the Living Museum of Maschkarata, which, together with school workshops and the folk music school, help pass on the Cilento folk tradition.

The Carnival of Trentinara is a tradition with an archaic charm that has its roots in rites linked to the cycle of nature. The event culminates on Shrove Tuesday with an irreverent and liberating procession, featuring age-old traditional characters such as the bride and groom, the woman giving birth, the devils, Death, Lent, the bear and the tamer. The route crosses the town following the paths of religious processions in reverse, symbolically reversing roles and meanings. In the past, the festival began after the feast of Saint Anthony Abbot, when adults and children, dressed in rags and with blackened faces, went from house to house asking for food and wine, keeping alive the link with poverty and alms-seeking in the rural world.

Today, even in a different socio-economic context, the Carnival retains the ritual power of its masks, which evoke the end of winter and the arrival of spring, the struggle between life and death, between order and chaos. The procession is a true theatrical performance recited in dialect, with roles assigned by a "director", but there is also ample room for improvisation. Alongside the traditional masks, performers reinterpret trades, current events and popular scenes with costumes made from reclaimed materials. The most eagerly awaited moment is the trial and sentencing to the stake of Vavo, a symbol of winter and human misfortunes, burned in the main square amidst ritual dances, acrobatic jumps by the devils and chases by Pulcinella. After a period of splendour in the 1970s and 1980s and a time of decline in the 1990s, the Carnival has regained new vitality since 2000, thanks to the spontaneous participation of young people.

The farce of "Don Annibale" is one of the oldest and most characteristic carnival performances of Eboli, a popular tradition that dates back to the early 18th century and has survived to the present day, also involving neighbouring municipalities.

Staged in the city squares on the Sundays before Carnival, the performance features six symbolic characters: Don Annibale, Giulietta, Zì Aniello, the Doctor, Carolina and Pulcinella. At the centre of the narrative is an intertwining of love stories between the masks, in particular that between Giulietta and Don Annibale, whose union represents the main event of the farce.

A key figure is the Doctor, who is called upon to mediate between the two young lovers and Zì Aniello, Giulietta's father, who is firmly opposed to the marriage. His role becomes even more complex when he is faced with a parallel storyline: the love between Carolina, his maid, and Pulcinella, who is determined to marry her. Faced with the insistence of the two, the Doctor can only give in and give his consent.

The performance ends with an invitation to all participants to celebrate the marriage of Giulietta and Don Annibale, in an atmosphere of general joy, accompanied by the notes of a lively Neapolitan tarantella, a traditional and engaging finale.

Immersed in breathtaking landscapes whose colours shift with every season, Cosentini – a hamlet of Montecorice – has for decades preserved one of the area's most deeply felt Carnival traditions.

The heart of the celebrations is Shrove Tuesday, and they unfold in three main stages: a procession through the village streets, with visits to homes in search of meatballs and wine; the Zeza ballad and the tarantella; and finally the procession and bonfire, during which Carnuluvaro is burned – a mocking figure, symbol of the Carnival spirit and emblem of the final outburst of joy before Lent.

An event that brings the village to life with colours and papier-mâché masks that, amid jokes and dancing, involve everyone.

The central moment of the event is the Ballata di Zeza, which features Pulcinella, his wife Zeza, their daughter Vincenzella, and her suitor Zì Ron Nicola, accompanied by a choir and traditional folk music. The festivities end with the final tarantella, danced to the tune of "Abballate zorie meje" and other traditional songs; a moment of communal joy that ends around a propitiatory bonfire.

The symbolic transition from Carnival to Lent is entrusted to a rag doll dressed in black, called Quaresima, displayed between two balconies on Ash Wednesday, in stark contrast to the cheerfulness embodied by Carnuluvaro.