The third Sunday of May means for the inhabitants of Acquapendente the culmination of weeks of preparation and effort: finally the dagger will be rewarded most beautiful among all those on display in the square. Let me explain what they are:
Legend says that in 1166, two farmers found an old dried, dead cherry tree full of flowers. According to the Aquesians, this miracle was the sign that Our Lady would protect him and the population of Acquapendente, who suffered under the iron reign of Federico Barbarossa, rebelled against the perfidious sovereign and kicked him out. Since then we thank Our Lady with the Feast of Mezzomaggio in honor of Our Lady of the Flower.
The god was a tool of the farmers, a stick with a spatula iron at the bottom that was used to clean the plow and to incite the oxen and that was brought into the decorated procession with flowers. Today you will no longer see agricultural tools but magnificent paintings made of flower and leaf petals. The stabbers are very large, measuring 260 x 360 cm which means about 7 square meters.
Designing and designing the drawings, inserting the petals one by one, can really be considered a painstaking work. They are really beautiful and it must be hard to pick the winner. In the morning you can admire the fifteen paintings in the squares where they are exhibited, while in the evening the stabbers fit into the procession and later you will know which group will lead to home the coveted prize.
The feast of Our Lady of the Flower, a folk event not to be missed: on the third Sunday of May.
Written by Christopher Clayton - Last update: 14/10/2021
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