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The Giubiana is a traditional celebration having great popularity in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, and particularly in Brianza, as well as in the region of Piedmont. During the last Thursday in January, bonfires are lit, on which the Giubiana (i.e. a puppet of an old witch) is burnt.
The name of this witch, and of the festival, changes according to the different languages spoken in these regions:
According to some, she is named after the ancient Roman God Jupiter, and this is why celebrations are held on Thursdays (in Anglo-Saxon tradition the day of Thor, but in the Latin tradition the day of Jupiter). Furthermore, according to popular traditions, on Thursday nights (or Saturday nights) witches assembled for Sabbath.
In the days before the festival the villagers collect all that's combustible (wood, hay, paper etc.), and put a pyre together. After a procession through the village street, the Giubiana is placed on the pyre and set on fire. The rite is both symbolic and propitiatory. The Giubiana is burnt to ashes to terminate the winter, so that the pyre flame is believed to predict an abundant harvest in the upcoming year.
In some parts of eastern Brianza, the Giubiana is accompanied by a masculine character, the Ginée, her husband and the personification of January.
In Canzo the celebration is particularly well-constructed; other symbolic and traditional characters are seen during the procession along historic centre, for example Anguana (a Celtic water fairy), the Òmm selvadech (the Wild Man), the Bear and the Hunter, the Executioner, the Candelabrum-bearers, the 'Bun e Gramm' (good boys and bad boys, that are pro and contra the burning), the so-called Lawyer of the Lost Causes (from Milan forum), the soothsayer, the Scarenna men, the Woman of the Street, the historical Firemen, the Shepherd, the Woodsman, the Carriage of the Peasants, the Sledge, and others. The "Cumpagnia di Nost" organizes the festivity, in which the town is adorned with black and red hangings (for mourning and bonfire); the symbol of the festivity is the red leg of the Giubiana; also the music of the drums and of the baghèt (lombard bagpipe) is mournful, but after burning it becomes cheerful because the evil has been eliminated; traditional costumes are worn. The atmosphere is sacral and joyful, thanks to the Celtic and Christian symbolism.
In Busto Arsizio the tradition is similar but different in only one point; the characters are prepared months before the festivity, the main reason is to create perfectly the exact face and body of all the characters, the Giubiana is the most important festivity in Busto Arsizio due to its historical meaning, or as many people say, the ceremony takes place in the center of the city just to hunt the bad luck and then celebrate the moment of good luck.
Since a few years, one of the groups who prepare their own Giubiana, the "Giovani padani" group, a political movement related to the right-wing party Lega Nord, have started creating politicised characters containing propaganda messages and offences to other parties and politicians, which have nothing to do with the traditional celebration of the end of the winter.
Beltane or Bealtaine is the Gaelic May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on 1 May, or about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Historically, it was widely observed in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. In Irish the name for the festival day is Lá Bealtaine while the month of May is Mí na Bealtaine, in Scottish Gaelic Latha Bealltainn, and in Manx Gaelic Laa Boaltinn/Boaldyn. Beltane is one of the four main Celtic seasonal festivals—along with Samhain, Imbolc, and Lughnasadh—and is similar to the Welsh Calan Mai.
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Traditions often include gathering wildflowers and green branches, weaving floral garlands, crowning a May Queen, and setting up a Maypole, May Tree or May Bush, around which people dance. Bonfires are also part of the festival in some regions. Regional varieties and related traditions include Walpurgis Night in central and northern Europe, the Gaelic festival Beltane, the Welsh festival Calan Mai, and May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It has also been associated with the ancient Roman festival Floralia.
Samhain, Sauin or Oíche Shamhna is a Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter or "darker half" of the year. It is also the Irish language name for November. Celebrations begin on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along with Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasa. Historically it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. A similar festival is held by the Brittonic Celtic people, called Calan Gaeaf in Wales.
Carnival or Shrovetide is a Christian festive season that occurs before Lent, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
The Fallas is a traditional celebration held annually in commemoration of Saint Joseph in the city of Valencia, Spain. The five main days celebrated are from 15 to 19 March, while the Mascletà, a pyrotechnic spectacle of firecracker detonation and fireworks display, takes place every day from 1 to 19 March. The term Fallas refers to both the celebration and the Falla monuments burnt during the celebration. A number of towns in the Valencian Community have similar celebrations inspired by the original Fallas de Valencia celebration. For example, the bonfires of Alicante or the Fiestas de la Magdalena in Castellón de la Plana. The Fallas festival was added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage of humanity list on 30 November 2016.
A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration.
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Busto Arsizio is a comune (municipality) in the south-easternmost part of the province of Varese, in the Italian region of Lombardy, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is mainly based on industry and commerce. It is the fifth municipality in the region by population and the first in the province.
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Golowan is the Cornish language word for the Midsummer celebrations in Cornwall, UK; widespread prior to the late 19th century and most popular in the Penwith area and in particular Penzance and Newlyn. The celebrations were centred on the lighting of bonfires and fireworks and the performance of associated rituals. The midsummer bonfire ceremonies were revived at St Ives in 1929 by the Old Cornwall Society and since then spread to other societies across Cornwall, as far as Kit Hill near Callington. Since 1991 the Golowan festival in Penzance has revived many of these ancient customs and has grown to become a major arts and culture festival; its central event Mazey Day now attracts tens of thousands of people to the Penzance area in late June.
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Holika Dahan, rendered Holika Dahanam in Sanskrit or Chotti Holi, is a Hindu festival in which a bonfire is lit to celebrate the burning of the demoness, Holika. This ritual is symbolic of victory of good over evil. It precedes Holi, the festival of colours, which celebrates the spring season. According to legend, Holika was the sister of Hiranyakashipu, who acquired a boon that rendered her invulnerable to fire. She then attempted to kill her nephew, Prahlada, by placing him on her lap in a bonfire. However, she was immolated while Prahlada was saved from the fire.
Lewes Bonfire, or Bonfire for short, describes a set of celebrations held in the town of Lewes, Sussex, England, that constitute the United Kingdom's largest and most famous Bonfire Night festivities, with Lewes being called the bonfire capital of the world.
Pope Night was an anti-Catholic holiday celebrated annually on November 5 in the colonial United States. It evolved from the British Guy Fawkes Night, which commemorates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Pope Night was most popular in the seaport towns of New England, especially in Boston, where it was an occasion for drinking, rioting, and anti-elite protest by the working class.
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