Medieval week, history is repeating itself

One of the most awaited periods of the year for many people, in particular, all the Lancianesi, everyone that loves history and culture, children and families from all over Italy is in in the last week of August… Lanciano’s medieval week (Settimana Medioevale) for the Mastogiurato (a form of old medieval count that would divide the shares that all the farm-workers would collect). People come from all over the world come over to see it! During this week there are many activities that go on around Lanciano that all recall the medieval past, which us Lancianesi are very proud of. This week starts on the Sunday, the day for the “Tenzone dei Quartieri”, a competition between the four areas of Lanciano (Borgo, Civitanova, Lancianovecchia and Sacca), in which a selected group of people dress-up in traditional clothes and compete in medieval games to win a prize, honour and local fame. This year’s winner was Borgo! On the Tuesday some expert falconers come over and put on an amazing show for both children and adults where they explain the difference between various bird predators. From the Wednesday until the following Sunday there is an amazing international medieval market in which people from many places (in particular Poland, Hungary, Germany, Italy) come to sell products and make shows that characterise their culture, for example, the Hungarians have traditional dancers, knights and little stalls with food or the Germans have fire-dancers, sausages and beer. On the 31st of August, the day of Sant’Egidio, the city is full of little stalls that sell  hand-made and decorated bells, in the spirit of good luck and in memory of the saint, to buy and give to your loved ones, it’s a really traditional and adorable thing to do that is always really appreciated. The Settimana Medioevale ends on the following Sunday, the day of the Mastrogiurato, where there is a huge parade that represents the historical moment in which the Mastrogiurato would deal with the goods. There are visitors that come from all over the world to see it and with about two hundred people from all over Abruzzo that try out and participate to the parade, dressed up in traditional clothes with the colours of the representing four Lanciano areas, with the dames in the centre. During all there shows, there are little “breaks” in which the group of knights of Lanciano along with their drums (Alfieri e Musici del Mastrogiurato), after practising very hard during the winter, come and do a mesmerizing show for all to see. This week is really cool because you get to meet people from all over the world which know a lot and are passionate about their culture and love to hear about any new culture or person they might come across to.It’s a really fascinating and lively time to come!

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