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 More recently the old "cantieri" (city districts) have been replaced by "rioni" and "contrade" (new divisions of the districts) which besides producing the floats, organize the banquets which each district gives in June along the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

  • 26 January 2012 - STAGIONE TEATRALE 2011/2012
  • 9 February 2012 - STAGIONE TEATRALE 2011/2012
  • 14 February 2012 - SEGNI D'AMORE
  • 23 March 2012 - STAGIONE TEATRALE 2011/2012
  • 14 April 2012 - STAGIONE TEATRALE 2011/2012
  • 5 May 2012 - STAGIONE TEATRALE 2011/2012
  • 26 May 2012 - JAZZ&WINE - TASTE CIGAR NIGHT
  • 27 May 2012 - MAGGIOLATA LUCIGNANESE
  • 17 June 2012 - CAMMINMANGIANDO
  • 30 June 2012 - NOTTE BIANCA
  • 10 August 2012 - LUCIGNANO SOTTO LE STELLE
  • 2 September 2012 - FESTA DEGLI SPOSI
  • 12 September 2012 - PROGETTO GIOVANISI'
  • 26 September 2012 - LUCIGNANO UNITO PER SALVARE UNA VITA
  • 30 September 2012 - MEMORIE DEL PASSATO
  • 30 September 2012 - FESTA PLAIN AIR 2012
  • 11 October 2012 - Regione TOSCANA GIOVANISI'
  • 29 October 2012 - STAGIONE TEATRALE 2012/2013
  • 23 November 2012 - STAGIONE TEATRALE 2012/2013
  • 16 December 2012 - FIERA DEL CEPPO E DELL OLIO
  • 27 January 2013 - GIORNATA DELLA MEMORIA
  • 14 February 2013 - SEGNI D'AMORE
  • 1 April 2013 - Colori e sapori di primavera
  • 7 April 2013 - PRESENTAZIONE LIBRO DOTT. PIETRO MASCHERI
  • 14 April 2013 - SPETTACOLO TEATRALE
  • 11 May 2013 - RADUNO BANDE GIOVANILI
  • 12 May 2013 - Borgh'in festa
  • 12 May 2013 - RASSEGNA DI GRUPPI BANDISTICI
  • 18 May 2013 - AMICO MUSEO 2013
  • 19 May 2013 - AMICO MUSEO 2013
  • 19 May 2013 - MAGGIOLATA LUCIGNANESE
  • 25 May 2013 - AMICO MUSEO 2013
  • 26 May 2013 - AMICO MUSEO 2013
  • 26 May 2013 - MAGGIOLATA LUCIGNANESE
  • 1 June 2013 - AMICO MUSEO 2013
  • 9 June 2013 - I^ ESPOSIZIONE NAZIONALE CANINA