The pantomime of the Bear in Saponara
At that time Saponara was a fief of Prince Domenico Alliata di Giovanni. According to tradition, a giant bear suddenly appeared in the village terrorizing the inhabitants, killing animals and causing damage to the countryside. After sending his guards to hunt for the bear, the generous Prince managed to have the beast captured and decided to show it, suitably chained, to all the citizens by personally making a long tour through the streets of the village together with the entire court.< br>This procession was repeated the following year and the year after until the bear was alive, to remember the narrow escape. Even when the animal died, this tradition continued and took on the role of historical re-enactment.
The concomitance of the event with the Carnival celebrations made that even today this ancient re-enactment takes place on Shrove Tuesday. Over the years the re-enactment has taken on ironic and transgressive tones just like Shrove Tuesday claims.
