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A devil wreaks havoc on Mardi Gras day
Among the alleys of Tufara, a quiet town in the Fortore Valley dominated by the ancient Longobard castle, every year on Shrove Tuesday is a big party. Amidst the shouts of the people, some of fear and others of joy suddenly emerges the Tufara Devil, with his seven goat skins, blood-red mask and trident in one hand.
He screams, jumps, struggles, and barely manages to be restrained by the goblins who with large chains try hard not to let him escape.
Accompanying the Devil are other figures dressed completely in white, as opposed to their meaning: Death. These, armed with the classic scythe, anticipate the arrival of the being and have a very specific meaning. Carnival represents rebirth, the end of the harsh winter and nature waking up again with the first, warm, sunshine.
The origins of this figure are lost in the mists of time. It probably represents the devil summoned to earth by pagan rites. In this mask one can see again the propitiatory dance in which the ancestors performed when the end of winter approached with the subsequent awakening of nature.
From early afternoon, preparations begin with makeup and dressing of the participants. Until evening, then, it is a continuous shouting and jumping madly through the alleys of Tufara.
With darkness, then, Carnival’s death is staged, with puppets thrown from the castle and the Devil below ready to take it with him to the underworld. But Mother is pregnant again, ready for Mardi Gras the following year.
Days
04 March 25
04 March 25
Timetable
14:00 - 21:00
Information/To know
Suitable for Everybody
Wheelchair accessible
Location/The place
Address
Tufara, CB, Italia
How to get there
By car: Highway A1, exit: S. Vittore (from ROME) Highway A1, exit: Caianello (from NAPLES) Highway A14, exit: Termoli Highway A16, exit: Benevento Continue in the direction of Campobasso, then in the direction of Foggia (SS 645) to the junction for Tufara (CB)
