Maggiolata Lucignanese

The popular festivals of Lucignano have fairly ancient origins. In fact evidence of this can be found in a French inquiry of 1809 in which there is reference, specifically, to three popular festivals which, even though no longer in use, were still alive in the memories of the Lucignanesi in that one of them, "the festival of the mazzate" was still a part of children's games. This festival, celebrated on May 31 and which could be associated with the civil wars of the past, consisted in a battle with bunches of marsh reeds tied with cords the socalled 44mazzate".
The other two festivals were the "Signoria" which took place during carnival time, lasting fifteen days and consisiting of the formation of a tribunal made up of reppresentatives of the people who judged the "lords" and "foreigners"; and the "Castle Game" which was a kind of remake of Pisa's "Bridge Game" a sort of tug of war. During the nineteenth century the May 3 1 st festival evolved into a fair to which, in 1900, was added a festival which was held on the last two Sundays of May and which consisted in a parade of carts pulled by oxen: "La Maggiolata". After a pause during the two wars, a number of changes were made to the festival and the farmers' carts were substituted by wooden platforms on which each district could freely create a scene; the wild flowers of the past were substituted by geraniums, and musical ensembles were invited from both Italy and abroad.
The construction of each float nowadays calls for months of work by the people of the various districts and for each float some fifteen to twenty thousand geraniums are required. More recently the old "cantieri" (city districts) have been replaced by "rioni" and "contrade" (new divisions of the districts) which besides producing the floats, organize the banquets which each district gives in June along the streets of the town.
The story of Lucignano's Folk Group is closely linked to the "Maggiolata". In 1937, the Maggiolata parade was made up of farmers' carts decorated with flowers and pulled by beribboned oxen and in each cart there were groups of singers and dancers who competed amongst themselves to outdo each other.
The outcome of this was that often the singers and dancers of Lucignano were invited to participate in various festivities elsewhere. When this happened all those who had participated in the Maggiolata groups would get together and form one very large group that then presented itself as the group of Lucignano. Only after the Second World War did the Folk Group and the "Maggiolata" part ways; in fact there are no longer singers and dancers on the Maggiolata floats and so the best members of the previous groups have continued their experience by bringing into existence the "Folk Group of Lucignano".
Since then research by some of its members has brought about the enrichment of their repertory of songs and dances and changes in the costumes. From the end of the '50's until the present the Folk Group of Lucignano, has been invited many times to participate in important festivals both in Italy and abroad as well as being filmed for RAI and the BBC.

For more infor: www.maggiolatalucignanese.it


Upcoming Events

  • 2 January 2009 - VIAGGIO NEL MONDO DELLE MARIONETTE E BURATTINI
  • 15 March 2009 - Festa di San Giuseppe
  • 21 March 2009 - Rumble 2009 - Teatro Comico poetico
  • 27 March 2009 - Rumble 2009 - Teatro Comico poetico
  • 28 March 2009 - Rumble 2009 - Teatro Comico poetico
  • 31 March 2009 - Spettacolo di DANZA BUTOH contemporaneo di e con S
  • 3 April 2009 - Rumble 2009 - Teatro Comico poetico
  • 3 April 2009 - Atto d'Amore
  • 4 April 2009 - Over Tones sax Quartet
  • 5 April 2009 - colori e sapori in fiera
  • 5 April 2009 - Parole e Musica
  • 18 April 2009 - Rumble 2009 - Teatro Comico poetico
  • 19 April 2009 - Volere Bene all'Italia
  • 10 May 2009 - 4
  • 17 May 2009 - Spettacolo di danza della Compagnia Con-Tempo
  • 24 May 2009 - Maggiolata Lucignanese
  • 31 May 2009 - Maggiolata Lucignanese
  • 21 June 2009 - Camminmangiando
  • 27 June 2009 - Notte Bianca
  • 9 July 2009 - Sere d'estate
  • 16 July 2009 - Sere d'estate
  • 21 July 2009 - Sere d'estate
  • 10 August 2009 - Calici di Stelle
  • 28 August 2009 - SOSTA PALMIZI - Elastic Choreography
  • 6 September 2009 - FESTA DEGLI SPOSI
  • 10 September 2009 - SALUTO ALL'ESTATE IN MUSICA
  • 25 September 2009 - LUCIGNANO IN JAZZ
  • 26 September 2009 - Memorie del passato
  • 27 September 2009 - Memorie del Passato
  • 25 October 2009 - Luci e Colori di Lucignano
  • 25 October 2009 - Festa delle castagne
  • 6 November 2009 - Presentazione libro "LA CADUTA DEL MURO"
  • 7 December 2009 - Concerto di Santa Cecilia
  • 20 December 2009 - Fiera del Ceppo
  • 23 December 2009 - Silent Nights
  • 27 January 2010 - SETTIMANA DELLA MEMORIA
  • 28 January 2010 - SETTIMANA DELLA MEMORIA
  • 29 January 2010 - SETTIMANA DELLA MEMORIA
  • 4 February 2010 - SETTIMANA DELLA MEMORIA
  • 5 February 2010 - SETTIMANA DELLA MEMORIA
  • 11 February 2010 - STAGIONE TEATRALE
  • 14 February 2010 - SEGNI D'AMORE
  • 16 February 2010 - STAGIONE TEATRALE
  • 25 February 2010 - STAGIONE TEATRALE
  • 10 March 2010 - STAGIONE TEATRALE
  • 27 March 2010 - STAGIONE TEATRALE
  • 8 April 2010 - STAGIONE TEATRALE
  • 15 April 2010 - STAGIONE TEATRALE
  • 22 April 2010 - STAGIONE TEATRALE
  • 3 May 2010 - AMICO MUSEO 2010
  • 5 May 2010 - AMICO MUSEO 2010
  • 7 May 2010 - AMICO MUSEO 2010
  • 8 May 2010 - AMICO MUSEO 2010
  • 9 May 2010 - VOLER BENE ALL ITALIA E V^ RASSEGNA DI GRUPPI BAND
  • 12 May 2010 - AMICO MUSEO 2010
  • 14 May 2010 - AMICO MUSEO 2010
  • 15 May 2010 - AMICO MUSEO 2010
  • 22 May 2010 - Aspettanto la maggiolata lucignanese
  • 23 May 2010 - MAGGIOLATA LUCIGNANESE
  • 24 May 2010 - SETTIMANA MAGGIOLINA
  • 25 May 2010 - SETTIMANA MAGGIOLINA
  • 26 May 2010 - SETTIMANA MAGGIOLINA
  • 27 May 2010 - SETTIMANA MAGGIOLINA
  • 28 May 2010 - SETTIMANA MAGGIOLINA
  • 29 May 2010 - SETTIMANA MAGGIOLINA
  • 30 May 2010 - MAGGIOLATA LUCIGNANESE
  • 19 June 2010 - Presentazione volume "Il ritorno Colloqui con il m
  • 20 June 2010 - CAMMINMANGIANDO
  • 26 June 2010 - NOTTE BIANCA
  • 3 July 2010 - CENA RIONE PORTA SAN GIOVANNI
  • 8 July 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 10 July 2010 - CENA DEL RIONE PORTA MURATA
  • 15 July 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 17 July 2010 - CENA CONTRADA PORTA SAN GIUSTO
  • 17 July 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 18 July 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 22 July 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 22 July 2010 - mostra personale di pittura
  • 23 July 2010 - mostra personale di pittura
  • 24 July 2010 - CENA CONTRADA VIA DELL AMORE
  • 29 July 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 5 August 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 10 August 2010 - "LUCIGNANO SOTTO LE STELLE"
  • 12 August 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 19 August 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 26 August 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 28 August 2010 - FESTA DELLA ZUCCA
  • 2 September 2010 - "Sere di estate"
  • 5 September 2010 - FESTA DEGLI SPOSI
  • 25 September 2010 - MEMORIE DEL PASSATO
  • 26 September 2010 - MEMORIE DEL PASSATO
  • 24 October 2010 - ESTEMPORANEA DI PITTURA
  • 28 November 2010 - SGAMBINATA ECOLOGICA
  • 7 December 2010 - CONCERTO DI SANTA CECILIA
  • 19 December 2010 - FIERA DEL CEPPO E DELL OLIO