Discover
The night between January 16th and 17th, every year, coinciding with the Catholic holiday of San Antonio Abate, patron saint of animals, the historic center of the city comes alive with colors and sounds, making cows and bulls the true protagonists of the day. The special “herd,” composed of cows and bulls (called ‘màshkr’ in the Tricarico dialect), completes the customary three rounds around the Church dedicated to Sant’Antonio Abate to receive the blessing, thus initiating the Carnival ritual.
It’s a truly evocative event to participate in, even just by admiring the beautiful masks of the most colorful Carnival in Basilicata A festival linked to the rituals of transhumance and agricultural cycles, where sacredness and ancient superstitions come together on a day when memory tells the youngest and reminds the oldest of the customs and traditions of communities from the past, so that their meaning and beauty are not lost.
You might fall in love with the typical wide-brimmed headgear covered with a scarf and a veil, both white with long colored ribbons for the “cow” mask, or with the black headgear with long red ribbons for the “bull” mask, and decide to take home a truly unique and original souvenir, just like many famous singers and illustrious figures keep in their homes.
On January 17th, at dawn, a deafening sound of cowbells wakes up the population. The masks, “guided” by a shepherd, reach the church of Sant’Antonio Abate, cross the historic center and the neighborhoods of Rabatana, and in a lively procession animated by scenes that evoke transhumance, they simulate the “journeys” of seasonal herds.
If you’re interested, we can arrange for you to participate, and we assure you it will be a unique experience for you, whether you have in your memory the colors and sounds recounted by your ancestors of this unique Carnival, or whether the sensations we’ve stirred in you by recounting this ancestral Carnival fill you with emotions at the mere thought of reliving the memory of a farming community still deeply rooted in its traditions.
And if Carnival has captivated you, the ancient music of this town is the missing emotion and vibration your heart longs for. Discover to believe!
Days
16 January 24
17 January 24
Timetable
00:00 - 22:00
Information/To know
Suitable for Everybody
Wheelchair accessible
Location/The place
Address
Tricarico, MT, Italia
How to get there
By car from Potenza: take the SS 407 Basentana and exit at Tricarico. By train: Napoli-Taranto line with stops at Grassano-Garaguso-Tricarico. TitoBus shuttle service available from the station to the city.
