Going somewhat against the trend but judging by the amount of children visibly enjoying themselves this afternoon, it would appear that the time for digital games is over. The backlash has begun? Children sitting huddled over their computers or cell phones not talking with each other in the real word but instead communicating in the digital universe has come to an end ?
Maybe not, but today definitely some thing had changed as the “old school games” like hop scotch, barrrow races, egg and spoon and even sack races were all the rage as the annual Quarantore took place in Barga.
The ancient art of rolling decorated eggs down an incline which was revitalised in Barga during 2012 and was re-enacted again last year, this afternoon for the third year running now became a huge annual event in Barga Giardino as part of the festivities to celebrate the Quarantore di Barga.
The event was organised by the Comune of Barga , the association “per B.A.R.G.A.”, the Association “la Befana” and the Pro Loco.
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Background information about the Quarantore:
The quarantore is an elaborately staged ceremony to glorify the Eucharist which reached a height of complexity in the seventeenth century. Although the precise origin of the Forty Hours’ Devotion is wrapped in a good deal of obscurity, the Milanese chronicler Burigozzo describes the custom of exposing the Blessed Sacrament in one church after another as a novelty which began at Milan, in May, 1537
Forty Hours’ Devotion, also called Quarant’ Ore or written in one word Quarantore, is a Roman Catholic exercise of devotion in which continuous prayer is made for forty hours before the Blessed Sacrament exposed.
It is commonly regarded as of the essence of the devotion that it should be kept up in a succession of churches, terminating in one at about the same hour at which it commences in the next. A solemn high Mass, “Mass of Exposition”, is sung at the beginning, and another “Mass of Deposition” at the end of the period of forty hours; and both these Masses are accompanied by a procession of the Blessed Sacrament and by the chanting of the litanies of the saints. The exact period of forty hours’ exposition is not in practice very strictly adhered to; for the Mass of Deposition is generally sung at about the same hour of the morning, two days after the Mass of Exposition. On the intervening day a solemn Mass pro pace is offered — if possible, at a different altar from the high altar upon which the Blessed Sacrament is exposed. It is assumed that the exposition and prayer should be kept up by night as well as by day, but permission is given to dispense with this requirement when an adequate number of watchers cannot be obtained. In such a case the interruption of the devotion by night does not forfeit the indulgences conceded by the Holy See to those who take part in it.
The pre-Christian Saxons had a spring goddess Eostre, whose feast was held on the Vernal Equinox, around 21 March. Her animal was the spring hare, and the rebirth of the land in spring was symbolised by the egg. Pope Gregory the Great ordered his missionaries to use old religious sites and festivals and absorb them into Christian rituals where possible. The Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ was ideally suited to be merged with the Pagan feast of Eostre and many of the traditions were adopted into the Christian festivities. Children traditionally rolled eggs down hillsides at Easter and it is thought that this may have become symbolic of the rolling away of the rock from Jesus Christ’s tomb before his resurrection — source Wikipedia
Le Quarantore a Barga sono tornate ad essere un momento irrinunciabile: lo dimostra il fatto che domenica pomeriggio la zona del Giardino si è letteralmente riempita di famiglie arrivate per godersi la bella giornata organizzata da Per B.A.R.G.A., Comune di Barga, associazione Perché la tradizione ritorni – la Befana e Pro Loco.
Giochi, anzi, giuochi di un tempo, mercatino straordinario, vendita di torte per beneficienza, tombola e una tiepida giornata di sole primaverile sono stati gli ingredienti che hanno contribuito alla riuscita della terza edizione di questa iniziativa.
Il movimento è iniziato già dalla mattina, con l’arrivo dei banchi del mercato e l’inizio della vendita delle torte casalinghe a cura dell’associazione La Befana, che in fondo alla giornata ha venduto oltre 50 buonissimi dolci fatti in casa.
Il clou si è raggiunto poi nel pomeriggio quando, a partire dalle 14.00, si sono aperte le iscrizioni agli antichi giuochi pasquali: rotolino (la gara di abilità nel far rotolare un uovo in una pista di terra battuta), corsa nei sacchi (aperta niente meno che da una sfida tra il sindaco e i commercianti di Per B.A.R.G.A.), slalom con l’ovino (corsa a ostacoli da portare a termine con un uovo in equilibrio sul cucchiaio), mondo e la corsa delle carrette, allestiti tra il parco in via Mordini e piazzale Matteotti.
Settanta i bambini che si sono iscritti ai giochi, poi premiati con uova di cioccolato, accompagnati dai genitori ben lieti di vederli occupati in attività all’aperto; il tutto coordinato dai commercianti, dagli amministratori comunali e da alcuni membri della Pro Loco nel loro primo impegno dopo le elezioni del nuovo direttivo avvenuta appena pochi giorni fa.
Contemporaneamente ai giuochi pasquali, in Largo Biondi si è giocato anche all’intramontabile tombola, con tre “giri” di cinquine e tombole premiate dalla profumeria Orchidea, dalla Casa del Bambino e dalla Rosticceria il Mangiar Bene.