{"id":1672,"date":"2015-04-30T10:22:16","date_gmt":"2015-04-30T08:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cantinadelmorellino.it\/?p=1672"},"modified":"2016-09-26T17:11:12","modified_gmt":"2016-09-26T17:11:12","slug":"canti-del-maggio-an-ancient-tradition-in-maremma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vignaiolidiscansano.it\/en\/canti-del-maggio-an-ancient-tradition-in-maremma\/","title":{"rendered":"Canti del Maggio, an ancient tradition in Maremma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year, in Maremma<\/strong>, on the night between the 30th of April and the 1st of May a very special tradition is celebrated, called\u00a0Canti del Maggio<\/em><\/strong> [Songs of May]. On this occasion, in the countryside, following the tradition of Maremma, groups of people move from one estate to the other, wearing hats made of hay and decorated with flowers, and singing. In each estate they bring songs to wish good luck in the fields and in exchange for that they receive food: meat, sausages, salami, eggs and, of course, wine.\u00a0These singers are called\u00a0maggerini.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>This tradition is linked to the cult of trees, to agricultural rituals, celebrating abundance and while nature returns to its splendour, it is meant to wish good luck for the harvest to come.<\/p>\n

In the past it was particularly important even because of its social value. As estates in \u00a0Maremma<\/strong>\u00a0were very distant from each other,\u00a0Canti del Maggio<\/em> <\/strong>served also to reinforce the connection between families, both for work reasons and for family allegiances (and marriages too!). As with many other traditions, in the past decades even\u00a0Canti del Maggio<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0went through a period of crisis but today they still exist, thanks, most of all, to special events involving\u00a0local associations that have the valorisation of\u00a0\u00a0popular songs. In particular, in Braccagni<\/strong><\/a>, this festival is a point of reference and groups perform in turn on the stage, together with poets and storytellers, even on the afternoon of the 1st of May.<\/p>\n

Want a preview of one of the songs?\u00a0Click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information on this tradition<\/strong><\/p>\n