Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie di Pastellessa

Italy

Contact: 0039 333 37 99 846
Postal address: Corso Umberto I, 13 81047 Macerata Campania (Caserta)
Geographic Coverage of NGO’s expertise: Italy

URL: https://www.santantuono.it

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education

Main areas of work related to the Convention:

Intangible Cultural Heritage: The "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" is actively engaged in the organization of the ancient Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, in Macerata Campania, promoting and safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa" of Macerata Campania. During such event the Association coordinates about 1.000 "bottari". Event: "Festa di Sant'Antuono" (Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot), Macerata Campania, January. On January 17 the old-town of Macerata Campania hosts every year the Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot. During the previous days concerts, tastings and religious liturgies warm up the atmosphere. The feast consists in: firing the "Cippo di Sant'Antuono" (Saint Anthony's piece of wood), parade of the ornamental wagons of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa", fireworks and a raffle. The band exhibition of the "bottari" is in the morning when they are carried on 16 meter-long wagons, with their instruments consisting of vats, barrels and sickles, realized by local artisans, around the town. "Pastellessa" is the name of the special sound made by the unusual rural percussion instruments, but it is also the name of a local recipe, typical dish of the feast: pasta with dried chestnuts. After the Mass fireworks are exploded as symbol of the purification and the struggle against the evil spirit. Figurative fireworks representing a woman, a pig, a donkey, enrich the symbolism and represent the protective force from the snares of the world. Traditional games as tug of war, the sack race and the raffle, when all donations collected during the procession are auctioned, mark the closure of the festivities. The event is organized by the Association with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Macerata Campania, the Province of Caserta, with the Campania Region, and the participation of the "Comitato per la promozione del patrimonio immateriale". Dissemination Project Sant'Antuono Web 2.0: With the aim of disseminating knowledge about the intangible heritage, the Association has created a net of Internet Web (Official website, YouTube channel, Facebook group, etc...) that allows to communicate and interact with the people from all over the world. The Association's Web community puts together more than 1.000 subscribers. Event - Official Presentation of the "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" and the Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, 2009 edition, Macerata Campania, October 26, 2008. The event was organized by the Association with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Macerata Campania. Event - Official Presentation of the Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, 2010 edition, Macerata Campania, October 25, 2009.The event was organized by Association with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Macerata Campania. Event - "Pastellessa Folk Festival", Macerata Campania, September 25,2010 - Festival of musical culture to put together and analyze the intangible cultural heritage of the "Pastellessa" of Macerata Campania and ''8allo e Canto sui Tamburo" (Dance & Song on the Drum) of the Italian Region Campania. The event was co-organized by the Association and the "Associazione Radici" with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Macerata Campania, the "Ente Provinciale per il Turismo di Caserta" , by the Province of Caserta and the "Comitato per la promozione del patrimonio immateriale (ICHNet)". Round Table - "11 Carnevale dei popoli - 11 ruolo delle comunita nella salvaguardia e nella valorizzazione sostenibile del Carnevale" (The Carnival of the Peoples Role of the Community in Safeguarding and Sustainable Valorisation of the Carnival), Montemarano, March 12, 2011 - A one day workshop to analyze the intangible cultural heritage of the Carnival in Campania and other Italian Regions, with the participation of the "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" in order to illustrate the ancient rural tradition of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa" of Macerata Campania. The event was co-organized by the "Comitato Carnevale di Montemarano" and the "Comitato per la promozione del patrimonio immateriale (ICHNet)" with the sponsorship of the "Istituto Centrale per la Demoetnoantropologia" of the Italian Ministry of Culture. Education Cooperation agreements established with Primary and Secondary schools of Macerata Campania for the Project "Scuole Aperte" promoted by the Campania Region. Establishment of the Study Centre "Historia Loci" in order to fulfil safeguarding activities for the intangible cultural heritage of Macerata Campania through research, studies, and events. "La festa di Sant'Antuono, patrimonio culturale immateriale di Macerata Campania" (Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, intangible cultural heritage of Macerata Campania) - A research study on the Feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, in Macerata Campania.

Objectives

The "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" carries out activities for the promotion and safeguarding of the intangible culture and tradition of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa" or "Carro di Sant'Antuono" of Macerata Campania (Caserta, Italy), which is unique for many aspects and has a long tradition. The "Battuglia di Pastellessa" are ornamental wagons that are prepared to celebrate the religious feast of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, in January following a tradition that started 700 years ago in Macerata Campania. "Pastellessa" is the name of the special sound executed by the "Battuglia di Pastellessa", where "battuglia" stands for group and its members are called "bottari", or barrelbeaters, from the unusual rural instruments utilized consisting in barrels, vats and sickles. The "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" is apolitical, non-partisan and a nonprofit organization with the following aims: - to organize the religious and civic celebration of Saint Anthony, the Abbot, in Macerata Campania (Caserta, Italy); - to valorize and promote among the general public the arts of the ancient rural tradition of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa"; - to make concrete the values of solidarity and participation, through actions and initiatives aimed at solving social problems of all seqments of the population, with particular attention to those mostly affected by injustices and imbalances deriving from the present prevailing development model; - to defend and promote the territory in all its aspects - ecological, urban, artistic, social and religious - and all its potential strength - in terms of tourism, sport, production and leisure management, against all forms of exploitation and deterioration; - to translate the popular culture of the "Battuglia di Pastellessa" into research, studies, and events of all kinds. Membership to the Association is free, without any kind of discrimination with regard to race, citizenship, sex or religious belief. Other Associations, Committees, Institutions and Foundations, sharinq the same purposes of the Association, can apply for membership to the Association.

Cooperation

The "Associazione Sant'Antuono & le Battuglie Pastellessa" is tightly connected to and cooperates with the local community through a continuous relationship with young and elder people to maintain and transmit the tradition. Young people are invited to join in the practice of playing the various typical musical instruments used while elder people participate in the transmission of techniques and patterns of playing and singing. The about 1.000 "bottari" split into twenty local groups, in order to create, maintain and transmit the intangible cultural heritage of the area. In order to fulfil the safeguarding activities for the intangible cultural heritage of Macerata Campania, the Association collaborates with other Associations, Committees, Institutions and Foundations, of the territory such as the "Associazione Radici" of Marcianise, the "Comitato Carnevale di Montemarano" of Montemarano, the Province of Caserta, the Municipality of Macerata Campania. In order to strenghthen the knowledge of its local tradition and specific percussion techniques, it also collaborates with organizations from other parts of Italy including the "Comitato per la promozione del patrimonio immateriale (ICHNet - Intangible Cultural Heritage Network)" and the "Istituto Centrale per la Demoetnoantropologia" of the Italian Ministry of Culture.