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 1909 |
Rocca
Grimalda's inhabitants trace back this old tradition, together dance,
rite and theatre piece, to a rebellion against the village's feudatory
who claimed to exercise his right of Jus Primae Noctis over the village
brides by forcing them to spend the first night after marriage within
his castle. Contaminations from really happened historical events can
not be excluded but La Lachera originates from old spring propitiatory
rites: fests related to the natural succession of seasons which were then
enriched with epic and social contents during the centuries. |
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 1925 |
The
ritual performance takes place in the carnival period, and it consists
of an animated and coloured nuptial train with a crescendo of sounds,
cracks of whips, jingling harness bells, whirls of flowers and ribbons:
its characters are armed with swords, others with whips, bells and high
hats covered of flowers and dance around a married couple, while an odd
red dressed personage (maybe the Devil himself) bounds and jokes among
people. |
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 1946 |
Fusion between war and nuptial elements is typical of myths and ballads all throughout Europe, often mixed with a gay and festive spirit: they originate as real dramatizations of ancestral spring rites. Probably supernatural beings in the beginning, the actors of such pieces assumed then nature and appearance of real characters: the tyrant, the couple, the jester, the warriors and so on. | ||||||||||||
 1981 |
As
a consequence it is not surprising to find out characters coming from
different historical periods: La Lachera has been essentially folk feast
from the very beginning and costumes were made up with available fabrics
and cloths that villagers could collect each time. That's why every stage of La Lachera's long lasting history left an enduring trace on its characters and choreography. |
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 2005 |
La
Lachera traditionally develops around three dances: Lachera itself, Giga
and Calisun. The first dance is incessantly danced during the nuptial
train by the two Lachè, who trip elegantly along going forward
and back reciprocally. Then both Lachè, the Bride and the Husband
execute Giga followed by Calisun, when the Bride ritually chases twice
each Lachè. Two other dances, "Curenta di Butej" and
"Monferrina", were added only during the second half of last
century and they are nowadays danced by country girls and muleteers, common
figures in Rocca Grimalda's past. |
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References: O.N.D.
: Danze
tradizionali del popolo italiano,
Roma
1935 Texts:
Giorgio Perfumo |
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Rocca Grimalda Municipality's webpage
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Historical Institute of the Resistence of Alessandria |
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