One of the most characteristic traditions of Sappada / Plodn, a German-speaking island, is Carnival (vosenòcht), a fundamental moment in which local traditions and popular culture are revived, in which rituals and folklore are interwoven, an occasion for play, fun and transgression. The absolute protagonists are the masks (letter): wooden masks (lòrvn) carved by local craftsmen and often handed down from generation to generation are used to disguise themselves completely and not be recognised by their fellow villagers. The Sappada Carnival celebrations take place as in the past on the three Sundays preceding Lent, dedicated to the three different strata of society the ‘Sunday of the poor’ (pèttlar sunntach), on which people dress in modest clothes and do the most menial jobs to earn a living; the ‘Sunday of the peasants’ (paurn sunntach), which evokes ancient agricultural work; the ‘Sunday of the lords’ (hearn sunntach), an expression of the wealthy class and an occasion to show off the most refined costumes. The masks wear appropriate clothes according to the Sunday and stage funny situations in which they involve the spectators and people from the houses they visit. They all speak in falsetto (goschn) so as not to be recognised.
Check the programme HERE