Today was La Gran Festa del Desmontagar or "The Big Party of the Coming Down From the Mountains"! in The Valley of Primiero, in the North of Italy.
For the summer all the cows and many of the other animals are taken up to the mountains to graze, together with the villagers taking care of them. As the beginning of Autumn approaches, everyone leaves the mountains to get back to the village in the valley, and this day is celebrated, the big return of the animals, the fathers and sons who've been away all summer..!
.. or I guess that's what it used to be.. :) Now it has turned quite big and touristic, but I still think the source of this festival is so sweet. And it still has a lot of the same significance.
Last year we were some of the ones up on the mountain. Maybe you read the post about our Three Months in a Malga in the Middle of The Mountains, where we were living in one of those houses, while Roberto was working as a chef in the restaurant.
Even though people now a days, with cars, has the possibility to go up and down fairly easy (though parts still has to be walked) they still work every day all those 3 months, and the Desmontegada really did feel like a big thing, a big change to coming back down to live in the village again. Just the fact that they have a word for coming back down from the mountain describes the importance of the event!
The Desmontegada is celebrated with a big parade of people and animals dressed with flowers and traditional clothes, and thousands of people come to see it..! Market, lots of traditional food and music and other activities is also filling the valley in this weekend.
Unfortunately I didn't get so good pictures - it is difficult to get good pictures of a parade with all those people, and cow balloons popping into the pictures!
hello
hello again!
oh Willow wanted one of those balloons! I remember when I was a kid and wanted a balloon and my parents almost never let me - now I understand why.. 5€ for having a f¤!%#/ piece of polluting trash tomorrow..
But his father didn't really mind at the moment and then - this smile and happiness is the 5 € worth...!
So yes, the whole thing is a bit commercialised by now, and also the day of the Festa is not necessarily the same day the cows are brought down from the mountain. Usually it's after (so they can join the parade obviously), and ususally those places that has restaurants are closing later.
But I still think it has significance by the fact that the people and the animals are the people and animals who has spend the summer in the mountains and they are coming back down to the valley, and they are all very beautiful!
The fact that everything is traditional, the clothes and the food, I see very much as the memory of the time when this event was even more important, and of course it's a big celebration of a culture that is still very much alive in these parts of the Alps.
The soundtrack of the parade, I must add, was the constant ringing of cowbells mixed with some accordion and singing from the people! I took a few videos, but I'm not very good with editing videos, and it's too late now, maybe I will add a nice one tomorrow! Because the cows without the sounds is really not the same. The cowbells was a constant company with us when we were living up in the mountains too!
The last participants in the parade was a gang of 600 sheep!
And then a little relaxing in the shadow with the cow!
Thank you for stopping by! <3 If you are curious to know more about the festival here's the official website
