Feast of the Beat - Aidone
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Description

Feast of the Beat - Aidone

 

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Technical sheet prepared by: Region of Sicily - Department of cultural heritage and Sicilian identity - CRicd: Regional center for inventory, cataloging and documentation and Sicilian regional film library

N. Prog. 106
Well: Feast of the Beat
Book: REI - Book of celebrations
Approval date: 28-04-2008
Category: Party / Ceremony
Province: Enna
Location: Contrada Ciappino
Municipality: Aidone
Local denomination
U Batte'ment or U batt'mìnt '
Chronological News
The tradition dates back to the seventeenth century, the festival was celebrated every ten years and there is evidence of it up to 1890.
Recurrence: Ten-year, until 1890. Since 2005, restored annually.
Date: 8 and 9 August
Occasion: Feast of San Lorenzo, patron saint of Aidone
Function: Historical, commemorative.
Actors: Appearing in the guise of Christian and Saracen knights
Participants: Local community, tourists
Description: U batt'mìnt ' (the beat) is a folkloric show in period costumes, which is performed in Aidone for the great feast, in the month of August, in honor of the Madonna delle Grazie and of San Lorenzo, patron saint of Aidone, consisting of a simulated battle between Christians and Saracens. In the days immediately preceding the feast of San Lorenzo (8 and 9 August), the historical re-enactment of an episode dating back to the Norman conquest is held. The costume tournament evokes a fight between Christian knights and Saracens, in which two Lombard contingents of Ruggero d'Altavilla's army would have participated. The battle would have taken place at the so-called “Passo dei Giudei” (the current Ciappino district), on the road that leads to Piazza Armerina, about two kilometers from the town.
In the historical costume tournament, called “Il Battimento”, a group of Christian knights, departed from the city, and a group of Saracen knights, coming from the opposite side, clash in two separate assaults. After the first assault, with an uncertain outcome, the Christian knights retreat to their tents to pray and fast, while the Saracens revel; in the second assault the Saracens are clearly defeated and taken prisoner. Everything ends with a general pacification for which Christians and Saracens move together in a single procession towards Aidone, to take part in the procession of the Madonna delle Grazie.
REFERENCES
Malfa, Victor. 1995. The popular traditions of Raddusa. Folkloric notes on Aidone and Valguarnera. Enna: The money.
 
Pitre, Giuseppe. 1979. Patronal festivals in Sicily. Palermo: Arnaldo Forni Publisher.
 
Card Author: Paola Barbata
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