September 7th--Festa della Rificolona

In Florence, children are a rare sight. They do not play in the streets nor do you see them walking with their parents (unless you live next to a school). It is a known fact that contemporary Italy is experiencing problems with low birth rate and it is especially evident by the lack of children in Florence. That is why on the night of September 9th, I knew there was something amiss--the city was flooded with children. I had completely forgotten about a special event they had posted information about at my school, the Festa della Rificolona.

I have not been able to learn very much about the origins of the celebration because they are considered debatable, but it is an authentic Florentine tradition that possibly "commemorates the triumphant entry of Florentine troops into Siena on August 2 1555, when the soldiers tied lanterns onto the ends of their pikes" (More information about possible origins and information here). As with many other older traditions, times changed and the importance and meaning of the event diminished, allowing a new tradition to develop. Just like Halloween has become a night specifically for children, so has the Festa della Rificolona.

My friends and I stood in a crowded piazza awaiting the arrival of giddy children, colorful lanterns, and tired parents. A marching band proceeded the parade of lights and the piazza became illuminated by youth and 10 euro lanterns. (See first picture)

A band took the stage and played lively songs, children ran around causing mischief, parents stood around looking bored and imagining how difficult it would be that night to get the children to bed with all the candy they had been feasting on. I visited with friends from the program and marveled at the multitude of lanterns. Many had been bought at local boutiques and looked like they were better suited for a Chinese festival however, there were some that were handmade and those were the ones worth mentioning. My favorites were these two suns... or faces? It doesn't really matter, I was just happy that they were in front of me because they were the standouts in the crowd. (See second picture)

Another thing that I was impressed by, was the fact that none of these lanterns had caught fire. They were all flimsy paper with a burning candle inside and they were being held by CHILDREN! The absence of any instantaneous fire was the biggest surprise (and maybe let down?) of the night. :)

As the night progressed and the sugar in the bodies of the children began to metabolize, they grew increasingly more annoying and rambunctious. Out of no where, children appeared with these huge straw-like sticks that were wrapped with clay. They would pull off a chunk of clay, load it in the straw, and shoot it at people by blowing on the end of the straw. It was funny until I became a random target. I caught some troublemakers in the act--in the third picture you can see the older sister pointing to whom the younger sister should strike next.

It was a great night to observe and to feel like a part of the community. With tourists, children, locals, vendors, musicians, and even nuns. The most funny scene of the night was this nun who separated from her group to chat on the cell phone for a long time. The mischievous nature of the children present rubbed off on us and we tried to sneak a picture of the scene, as you can see in the fourth picture, my friends were pretending to pose! The final picture is of me and some other girls from the CSU program here in Florence.

Future entries: Day trip with the entire CSU program around the Tuscany area, including Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, and the former home of Machiavelli; weekend trip to Elba, a beautiful Italian isle which was the place to which Napoleon was exiled (although, I don't see how it was any sort of punishment); day trip to Fiesole, a beautiful hillside town that looks down upon Florence (providing amazing views) and houses some of the most beautiful Tuscan villas, not to mention the site of some well-preserved Etruscan and Roman ruins (including a fully intact Roman theater); day trip to Impruneta, a small, Tuscan wine town, for a grape harvest festival; and finally my first Italian opera. Hold tight!