Ferie delle Messi in San Gimignano from 18th to 20th of june
Posted on 05. Jun, 2010 by admin in Archive, Events, Itineraries
From 18 to 20 June in San Gimignano, in the province of Siena , we have the Ferie delle Messi, which evokes the traditional “ferie Messium”, established under the title “De Ferris Potencies” of 1255 and 1314.
This manifestation recreates the atmosphere of the Middle Ages with musical and theatrical performances, the unfailing local gastronomy and equestrian activities and medieval traditions typical of the Val d’Elsa. These events are organised by an association of knights of the city named after Santa Fina de’ Ciardi, a young maiden who died in 1253 at the age of 15 after a terrible illness with much suffering and agony. It is said that this young girl offered her sufferance to God and spent five years of her short life lying on an oak table in a cave in her cellars, exhorting all visitors to be peaceful, to avoid offending others, to abandon hate and to forget all sectarian divisions—especially the rivalry between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. When she died on the 12 March, a miraculous bloom of wild violets appeared on the walls and the towers of San Gimignano. The Knights of the city took on her name and taking heed of her teachings, adopted them as their rules.
In the tradition of the Feria delle Messi, the Knights of Santa Fina, have re-proposed some aspects of the knightly traditions and have also reintroduced the historical four contrade or areas of the city: San Giovanni, Piazza, Castello and San Matteo.
The festival—auspicious for a favourable harvest—is celebrated by all the city’s inhabitants who celebrate with song, dance, games and jousting between horse-mounted champions armed with lances. San Gimignano’s four contrade parade in costume and they meet in the main square to enact their jousting tournament, the Giostra dei Bastoni – Stick Game, while the streets and squares of the city are filled with local stalls full of products and handicrafts, jugglers, buskers and games such as archery and tug of war competitions.
The three day programme of this folkloristic event is as follows:
FRIDAY 18 JUNE
Piazza Duomo – from 21:30 until 23:00
Dance and Medieval Music
In waiting for a new day, when the darkness—symbol of Evil—fades and the inexorable light of day takes its place, the festival commences.
With the participation of the Drummers of Meesburg, and the local Drum Group of San Gimignano
SATURDAY 19 JUNE
Rocca di Montestaffoli – from 16:30
Re-enactment of a military encampment on the Rocca di Montestaffoli
Piazza Duomo – 16:30
Enrobing Ceremony
The triumphal entrance of the Four Contrade of the City for the enrobing of the Knight’s Horses which will participate in the Giostra dei Bastoni the following day.
Piazza delle Erbe – from 17:00
The Alchemies of Art
In the Middle Ages, the vile materials or those elements which did not contain the properties of gold were called, were considered by alchemists as being capable of being founded and transformed and purified into gold, the most perfect of metals. For the general public, this takes the form of the transformation of ordinary materials which are transformed into extraordinary objects to be used every day.
Piazza Duomo – 17:00
The Assault of the Castello d’Amore
Even if terrestrial love is manifest in the microcosm of Divine Love, the assault and conquest of the Castle which embodies Love, symbolises the start of a journey towards the macro-cosmos of Love which Man tends toward both in spirit and in nature. But this journey is not an easy one: the temptations and the pitfalls are many.
Animated and organised by the Contrade of San Gimignano
Parco Rocca di Montestaffoli – 18:00
Furiose Passioni – Passionate Furies
Piazza Duomo – 19:00
Tug-of-war of the Champions of the Four Contrade – First and Second Act
Force or Power in the Middle Ages was symbolised by two different allegorical images: the physical force of Hercules in combat against the Nemean Lion, representing the battle of intelligence against brute force and spiritual force (Fortitude) of the young maiden carry a large column representing the divine force that exists and reverberates in every living being capable of resisting and overcoming any kind of temptation. There will be many lions to fight and win against!
Piazza Duomo – 19:45
Tug-of-war between female contestants of the four Contrade – Single Event
Piazza delle Erbe – from 20:15
Saettar d’Apollo
Piazza Duomo – from 20:15 until 22:00
Middle Ages
Piazza Duomo – from 22:00
Sulle Vie del Vento (The Search of the Holy Grail)
The performance tells the tale of Man’s voyage towards spiritual illumination and his quest for the Divine
SUNDAY 20 JUNE
Rocca di Montestaffoli – from 11:00
The reconstruction of a military encampment and all the other necessary structures and equipment
Piazza delle Erbe – from 11:00
The Medieval Market
Rough and unrefined materials are transformed by the arts of the artisans into wonderful creations.
Piazza delle Erbe – from 11:00 to 11:45
Lanciar di Strali – The battle between Apollo and Cupid
Piazza Duomo – from 12:00
Rito della Purificazione – The Rite of Purification
We have the entrance into the main Square accompanied by the sounds of drums and the drones of the medieval trumpets of the four Contrade with their inhabitants, noblemen and military figures.
Piazza Duomo – from 14:30 until 15:30
Middle Ages
The Carretto Jesters, the Collegium Aureum Bagpipes, the Fanfarenzug di Meesburg, the Drummers of San Gimignano
Piazza delle Erbe – from 15:30
Archery Competition – Final event
End of the Archery Competition.
Piazza Duomo – from 15:45
The Assault and Battle of the Castello d’Amore
Piazza Duomo – from 16:45
Volteggiar d’Insegne
A performance of Flag Waving (singles, doubles, small and large groups).
From Porta San Matteo to Porta San Giovanni and the Parco della Rocca – from 17:00
Il Corteo delle Messi – The Parade of the Messi
The long-awaited and most emotional moment of the Festival. Armoured soldiers, knights on ribbon-bedecked horses, knaves with pikes, lances and shields, standard bearers, noble gentlewomen dressed in their finest, the local inhabitants in festive mood all gather around the image of Flora, the Queen of Spring seated in her oxen-drawn carriage accompanied by bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies, drums, jesters and jugglers. The Towers of San Gimignano. A spectacular performance.
Over five hundred persons will participate in the parade.
Parco della Rocca – from 18:00
La Giostra dei Bastoni
To win is obligatory for the armed brothers who will combat against each other and against time. Victory is a joyful event for each Contrada as many other things will happen during the year for the winning contrada. Nothing is invented apart from the true passion to recreate an authentic portrayal of the Middle Ages.
Piazza Duomo – from 19:00
La Spada d’Oro – The Golden Sword
The Golden Sword will be consigned by the City Elders to the winner of the Giostra dei Bastoni.
Piazza Duomo – from 19:30
Lux GlorificandaDuring the last evening of this festival, as the shadows of darkness fall onto the city, the artists and inhabitants of the Contrade gather almost to combat against the night which slowly encroaches onto the main square in their attempt to perpetuate this celebration of light, of the sun and of Christ. “Fulget dies celebris, lux glorificanda”.
