Carnival in Saponara

The Carnival in Saponara is famous for the Pantomima of the bear and the princely court which takes place on Shrove Tuesday each year to crown the organized Carnival celebrations.
It is a historical re-enactment of an event that really happened in the eighteenth century when Prince Alliata managed to capture a bear that had caused massacres in the village and for to celebrate the incident he paraded the bear in chains through the city streets.
During the parade of the bear and the princely court, the bear walks imprisoned by ropes and chains governed by the tamers, and is accompanied by two hunters, by the Prince, the Princess and the entire Royal Court. During the parade, the bear invites the women he meets on his path to dance, alternating, however, with this graceful invitation of his, moments in which he becomes aggressive and threatening.
A very particular rite that accompanies the parade is the ritual some shells. The shells are used as musical instruments and give rise to a sound that accompanies the procession. This sound follows a determined rhythmic sequence punctuated by the sound of two snare drums which dictate the tempo and which combine their sound with that of the shells.

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