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fuoco e fiammeIn Ampezzo i falò di ferragosto

di Lalla Facco

“Al fuoco della verità le obiezioni non sono che man-tici” Carlo Dossi

SanFrancesconelcanticodelleCreaturedice: “etelloèbello,robustuosoetforte”.Unfuocochearde

èsempreunospettacolodellanatura:lasuavigoriaelibertà nell’espandersi, le faville che cercanod’innal-zarsinelcaminoimmagano.UntempolecaseinAm-pezzoeranoperlamaggiorparteinlegnoconilfornodariscaldamentocheerapostonellastua,stanzadasoggiorno, o nei camini serviti da canne fumarie ad-dossateai fienili.Daqui il divampared’incendi furio-siche,standoairacconti lasciatidatestimoniocularidell’epoca,dovevanoessereunospettacoloterrificantedifiammealtissimechedavanoilsensodell’impotenzadell’uomodi fronte allo scatenarsi degli elementi. Sepoisuccedevadinottelascenadovevaessereancorpiùimpressionante!Lanecessitàdiaccenderefuochiall’apertosubentravavarievolte:d’invernoneiboschiperitaglidilegname,perlecarbonaie,perbruciarelesterpaglieed’estatedurantelafienagionesullamontagnaalta.Ipastoriac-cendevanofuochianchesenonfacevafreddoespessodivenivagiocoperiragazziesemprepercompagniaeadifesadelgregge.Neltempol’usodelfuocovenneregolatodalMaggiorConsiglio,siamonellasecondametàdel‘600,chein-nanzituttodecisediistituireunafestadedicataaSanFloriano,protettoredegliincendiepoidilimitarel’usodei forni domestici dando inoltre nuove regole per lacostruzionedellecase.Sempreinseguitoadunincen-dioimprovvisofudecisodiporreunasentinellaguar-da-fuocosulcampanilediCortina,chesalivaalprimobuioescrutavaaspiareaccennidifuocoelisegnalavacon le campane. Trovò inoltre opportuno far suonaredeirintocchituttelesere,un’oradopol’AveMaria,cioèun’ora dopo il buio quando tutte le famiglie avevanoconsumatolaparcacena,peravvisarecheifocolaido-vevanoesserespenti.Questaèstoria.Oggi lecostruzionitengonocontodeipericoliconnessiall’usodel legnoeleregoledisicu-rezzavietanoqualsiasisortadifuocoliberonellavalled’Ampezzo.Tuttaviaunasolavoltaall’anno,lanottedel14agosto,vigiliadiferragostoedell’AssunzioneinCielo

©D.G.Bandion

28 C.M.~TRADIZIONI

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diMaria,aCortinaèuntripudiodifuochi,falòecanticherichiamanocittadini e turisti e quando il solelasciaspazioallaluna,sulversantedellaTofanadiMezzosipuòammi-rare anche da molto lontano unamaestosa lettera M realizzata daipartecipantiallafiaccolatainonorediMaria.Lospettacoloèdavedere:ivariSestieriallestiscononeigiorniprecedentisuipratie lontanodal-lecaseenormicatastedilegnacuisiaggiungonodiliberainiziativalecose vecchie da bruciare. Dopo iltramontoiniziailritodell’accensio-nedei vari falò chenelprogrediredelle tenebre illuminano la valle:pirecherievocanoantichetradizio-nicontadineeriportanoattornoalfuocopiccolefollediresidentievil-leggiantipercantareeconsumarepoicibicottisullabracesottrattaalfalò.E’unanottedimagiaedanchediritornoinlibertàdiunelementotanto utile quanto spaventoso cheevochiamo e tentiamo di domare:un’occasioneperritrovarsiaguar-dareecercaredi leggerelelinguevermiglie ed incandescenti chesi avviluppano salendo al cielo inmillescintilleardenti.Perqualcheistante il fuocodominatoprende ilsopravventoe lefiammeaccendo-nodiluciprimitivel’Ampezzo.

San Francesco in the cantico delle Creature says: “and he that is

beautiful, well built and strong”. A

burning fire is a spectacular of na-ture: strength and freedom to ex-pand, flames that try to grow in the chimney. Once the houses in Cortina were mostly made from wood with a heating stove in the stub, the sitting room or in chimneys with chimney flues near hayloft. For this reason, many houses caught fire and, listen-ing to eyewitnesses of the time, they must have been terrible with enor-mous flames making man feel im-potent when set against the natural elements. If it happened during the night, the scene must have been even more dramatic! The need to kindle fires outside occurred at various times: during the winter whilst cut-ting wood, for charcoal kilns, to burn weeds and during the haymaking in the summer on the high mountain. The shepherds lit fires even if it was not too cold and very often it became a game for the young, always com-pany and to defend the sheep.In time, the use of fire was regu-lated by the Major Committee, in the second half of the 600’, they decided to create the institution of celebrat-ing San Floriano, protector against fires, and to also limiting the use of home stoves and setting new rules for building houses. Immediately af-ter a house went up in flames they decided to place a fireguard up in the Cortina’s bell tower, who ascended at dusk and raised the alarm by ring-ing the bells in the case of fire. They

also thought it wise to ring the bells every evening, an hour after prayers, or better an hour after dark when all of the families had eaten reminding them to extinguish all home fires. This is history. Today the buildings take all dangers connected to the use of wood into account as also do the security rules which ban any kind of free fire in the Ampezzo Valley. Only once a year, on the 14th of August, the night before Mary’s Assumption, in Cortina one can see a rejoicing of fire and hear songs. On the side of the Tofana di Mezzo it is possible to see an enormous letter “M” made by the torch light procession participants’ in the honour of Mary. The spectacular is wonderful: during the days ahead, the Sestieri put enormous blocks of wood on the grass, pyres that relive the old peasant tradition of burning old unwanted things. After sunset, the bonfires are set and start illumi-nating the valley: flames that evoke old traditions and draw once again residents and visitors alike around the fire whilst singing and eating food cooked on the charcoal. It is a night of magic, a return to freedom of an ele-ment that is as beautiful as much it is frightening, that we evoke and try to tame. An occasion to be together and read the flames that rise like incan-descent tongues into the sky in thou-sands of hot sparks. For a few instanc-es, fire dominates and the flames give Ampezzo a primitive light.

Sotto: falò sui prati di Alverà. La catasta viene preparata nei mesi precedenti dai residente con “cose vecchie e inutili” di casa. L’accensione avviene la sera del 14 agosto e la pira brucia fino alla mattina seguente.Below: fir on the grass of Alverà. The blocks are prepared months before by the residents with old unwanted things. It is set on the evening of the 14th of August and the pyres burn until the next morning.