Battle of oranges in Italy. Once a year orange battles take place in Italy. In which city in Italy do people throw oranges?

Battle of the Oranges: vivid photos and videos, detailed description and reviews of the Battle of the Oranges event in 2019.

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The small Italian town of Ivrea, located in the province of Turin, is today known throughout the world. This popularity was brought to him by the local carnival, or, to be more precise, by the battle of the oranges, which takes place annually as part of the holiday. In fact, the battle of the oranges is the most interesting event of the Jewish carnival. It takes place in February or March for three days - from Sunday to Tuesday. The procession symbolizes the freedom of local residents and the coming spring.

One battle requires several tons of oranges. It is interesting that after the fight, approximately 150-200 participants go to hospitals with bruises and injuries of varying severity. But even this does not stop Jews from participating in the annual orange duel.

The carnival dates back to 1808, but the battle of oranges in modern form appeared much later - after the Second World War. The origin of this unusual duel occurred around the 30s of the 20th century. During the holiday, Jewish girls, standing on balconies, threw oranges at passing guys to attract attention. The young people, in turn, threw fruit in response. So gradually the comic custom grew into a real extreme battle with its own rules.

Battle of the Oranges

But the “orange confrontation” is not just entertainment, but a game with some subtext. The battle symbolizes the uprising of ordinary townspeople against the local rich. According to legend, in the Middle Ages, the owner of the Italian lands, the evil Duke Marcus, wanted to spend the night with a simple girl named Violetta. But the young lady turned out to be not a timid woman - she took it and cut off the scoundrel’s head. Having put it on the tip of her sword, the miller's daughter went out onto the balcony of the palace and proved to everyone the strength of her people. The oranges symbolize the severed head, and the orange color is the symbol of the brave townspeople who protected Violetta from Marcus' executioners. Today, the main heroine of the holiday, of course, is Violetta. She rides in a carriage through the streets of the city and scatters mimosas. During the closing ceremony of the carnival, it is customary to set fire to a huge straw pillar. The higher the flame of the fire, the luckier and happier life will be.

The carnival always ends on Tuesday with a solemn funeral service. At the closing ceremony of the holiday, the phrase is said: “See you next Fat Tuesday at one o’clock in the afternoon.”

A total of several thousand townspeople participate in the battle of oranges - 9 teams in total. Spectators themselves cannot throw fruit, but they have the right to take part in the duel. You just need to join a team, the main thing is to put on an orange hat.

Initially, apples were used during this unusual fight. In connection with which these fruits were replaced with oranges, no one remembers. Interestingly, oranges do not grow in Ivrea, they are brought from Sicily.

One battle requires several tons of oranges. It is interesting that after the fight, approximately 150-200 participants go to hospitals with bruises and injuries of varying severity. But even this does not stop Jews from participating in the annual orange duel. Many boys and girls have been participating in the Battle of the Oranges since childhood.

Travel without adventure is dull and ordinary. A real trip to Italy is not visiting monuments and eating pizza in a restaurant, or walking around shops and nightclubs. A real journey is about living emotions and vivid memories, medieval stories, coming to life on city streets.

What to see in Italy? Of course, the Italian carnival! In general, any theatrical performance in Italy is an unusual and rich event.

A curious traveler simply needs to go to the city of Ivrea, which is located not far from Turin, and see with his own eyes what kind of miracle this is - the Battle of the Orange.

For just three days a year, around mid-February, the town of Ivrea turns into a battlefield. Residents take to the streets to take part in an exciting theatrical performance and compete among themselves in teams. The specialty of this battle is the projectiles. Participants throw oranges at each other, sparing neither effort nor supplies.

The Battle of the Oranges (Battaglia delle arance) is a spectacle so colorful and attractive that tourists from all over the world come to watch the battle.

Just imagine: the whole city is strewn with oranges, juice flows through the streets in streams, and in the air the fresh citrus smell mixes with the smell of roasted chestnuts.

They say that during the Battle of the Oranges, as many oranges are wasted as are eaten in Italy in a year!

How Beautiful Violetta liberated the city

The story explaining the origin of this holiday says that long ago in the 12th century, the city was ruled by a nobleman who was famous for his cruelty and stinginess. The people who lived in his domain were driven to despair by the high taxes and extortions of the tyrant.

The miller's young daughter Violetta, who did not want to belong to her master on her wedding day, cut off his head and showed it from the castle wall to the people standing below. That same night the castle was destroyed and burned, and Violetta forever remained a symbol of freedom for the inhabitants of the city. Of course, she is the main heroine of the holiday. Dressed in beautiful white robes, the miller's daughter leads the parade of participants after the battle, handing out flowers and sweets to everyone. It is interesting that since 1858, the name of each girl who became Violetta during the holiday remains in the history of the festival. And the main character, of course, is an orange. It symbolizes the severed head of the greedy marquis. Orange color - color rebel citizens.

Oranges are ready for battle

The theatrical action begins at one o'clock on Thursday with the distribution of free beans and sausages in the square to everyone. “Fagiolata benefica” is written on a sign above the squares, where crowds of citizens and tourists flock.

Beans are the food of the poor, and sausage is the personification of wealth. But on “Fat Thursday,” which is the name of the day the carnival begins, as a sign of reconciliation, both “sides” find themselves on the same plate.

Violetta and her companion General (another indispensable character in the performance) also take part in the general meal, and then, caught up in the carnival procession that has already begun, they head to the municipality.

Ah, these wonderful carnivals in Italy! Medieval costumes, white horses, wind instruments. It seems that the city is surrendering without a fight to this unbridled fun!

Meanwhile, on the streets hung with flags, boxes of oranges are waiting in the wings. Oranges are delivered from Sicily specially for the beginning of the Battle of the Oranges. The display cases are tightly closed, spectators gather, and the teams undergo final checks before the fight.

The participants in the battle are divided into two camps: those sitting on horse-drawn carts represent the guards, and the nine foot teams “aranceri a piedi” represent the rebels.

Each team has its own uniform, name and place for battle. The areas where battles take place are fenced with a fishing net. For three days the city has been gripped by orange madness to such an extent that it is difficult not to resist throwing an orange. Yes, and for those who do not want to become a target, the organizers suggest wearing a red Beretto Friggio cap. Each battle ends with the obligatory handshake of the opponents.

In addition to battles, competitions and performances by artists are held during the carnival. And this Italian carnival ends with the final procession and the burning of a straw pole.

After all, the higher the pillar, the more successful and richer the next year will be. After all, the Battle of the Orange is not only a holiday of freedom, but also a cheerful and bright celebration of welcoming spring.

IN Northern Italy The annual costume carnival “Carnevale d’Ivrea” is held along the streets of Ivrea with participation in the orange battle. The Battle of Oranges is a re-enactment of a historical battle, only instead of weapons, stones and...

In Northern Italy, the annual costume carnival “Carnevale d’Ivrea” is held through the streets of the city of Ivrea with participation in the orange battle. The Battle of Oranges is a re-enactment of a historical battle, only instead of weapons, stones and cobblestones, ripe orange fruits are in the hands of townspeople and tourists.

Before the start of Lent, many countries hold various colorful festivals and carnivals with bright decorations and incredible wild fun. This carnival tradition is also supported by the Italians, who organize various carnivals on a grand scale, one of which is the “Battle of the Orange”. More than 350 tons of juicy fruit are prepared in advance for the orange battle, which is approximately the annual consumption of oranges throughout Italy. One can only imagine what a citrus smell reigns, and what an orange layer of pulp the city streets are covered with after the battle. Street cleaning is carried out by tradition by all participants in the battle. Every year the number of participants in this orange battle only increases.

To fully understand the meaning of this carnival, you need to know the history of the city of Ivrea, where this holiday is held. As historians say, back in 1808 an event took place, namely the armed uprising of the people of Tukinadjo against the despotism of the feudal lords. But this one historical fact attracts little townspeople and tourists, there is another interpretation of this event - a legend. And this is what the locals like the most. After all, every legend carries a certain mystery, which, if desired, you can embellish and add something of your own. So the legend says that a long time ago, back in the 12th century, a terrible law reigned on this land, which gave the ruler of Ivrea the right to the “first night” with any girl standing under the aisle. At that time there lived the beautiful Violetta, the daughter of a miller, who was soon to get married. And on the wedding day, the reigning ruler of the city wanted to exercise his rights, but the obstinate and brave Violetta was able to repel the king, stabbed him, and threw his head from the balcony. The guards grabbed the girl, but local residents They fought it off, throwing stones at the guards.

No one knows for sure whether this story could actually exist, but the townspeople fell in love with this legend and now annually celebrate Violetta’s “liberation” battle, where ripe oranges are used instead of stone cobblestones.

The entire organization of the holiday is carried out quite carefully, the battle itself takes place in the main squares of the city. First, a girl is chosen to play the role of Violetta. As a rule, she is the main beauty of the carnival. Everyone who wants to take part is divided into groups of one hundred people, which make up main force fighters called arancheri. They are dressed in special colorful costumes. Improvised carts with guards drive out to the square. Each such cart contains ten people, specially trained and dressed in clothes with metal armor and helmets. After all, a forcefully thrown orange is quite a formidable weapon, which sometimes, even in the presence of special clothing, leads to minor injuries to the participants, such as a broken nose and a black eye. But this is nothing compared to the emotions that everyone present and taking part in the battle receives. At the end of the battle, the team on the ground that threw the citrus fruits better and more accurately is given a prize.

By the way, those who do not want to participate in this battle themselves, but want to watch the battle from the outside and not be a “broken” orange, such spectators are given red hats. This red cap tells all the fighters that this carnival hero is inviolable.

Look at these photographs taken at the time of the battle, and you will understand that the entire show is a rather serious battle, but friendship, unity, love and justice still win. At least that's what I'd like to think.published

People have not forgotten how to sort things out without assault. True, the desire to throw something well at the enemy is great when it comes to the strong and the weak. In the town of Ivrea, in Italy, every year local residents and tourists from all over the world gather to take part in the orange battle and throw the ripe fruit to the first person they come across.

The celebration of the Orange Battles is called Battaglia delle Aranche (Battle of the Oranges). It takes place annually on March 7th and 8th as part of the Carnevale d’Ivrea. The essence of the holiday is that several teams dress up in medieval costumes, put on protective helmets so that there are no scars and bruises from ripe fruit, and go out on the warpath. Showdowns over oranges have been going on in Italy for 9 centuries.

In the 12th century, according to legend, a local feudal lord forcibly married the miller's daughter Violetta. The proud girl did not want to give the nobleman the right to his first night and pushed him off the balcony. The guards immediately attacked Violetta, but the local people stood up for her. The guards were thrown stones until they released the girl.

Since then, orange battles have been taking place in Italy. Those unlucky ones who find themselves at the epicenter of what is happening should wear a red cap. Then the juicy appearance of citrus fruits will not fly at them.

February and March in Europe are the busiest months with holidays and carnivals. Almost every self-respecting town considers it its duty to organize some amazing and grandiose event. So the Italian Ivrea, located in the north of the country, does not lag behind the fashion: its orange battles are known throughout the world.

This citrus mayhem usually takes place in February; in 2016, the battle is scheduled for the 8th. Interestingly, the mass orange massacre is just part of the whole festival, which usually lasts 3-4 days (from February 6 to 9). At this time, numerous tourists, as well as the Italians themselves, flock to Ivrea at this time.

During the battle, a small Italian town produces as many oranges as the entire country could hardly handle in a year. What are these sacrifices for? Any city holiday (even if it is an orange bacchanalia) has its own legend. It says that in the 12th century a despotic feudal lord lived in these places. According to the custom of that time, the local ruler had the right to the “first night” with any young bride. The miller’s daughter, Violetta, also lived here, and she was unusually pretty. When, on her wedding day, the ruler demanded the girl to come to him, she was not at a loss: she came to the feudal lord’s chambers, beheaded him and showed his head from the balcony. The tyrant was defeated by the fragile and beautiful miller's wife, which became a landmark event for the city.

How exactly do oranges fit into this story? The residents themselves tell several versions at once. Some say that the fruit symbolizes the head of a tyrant. Others claim that the oranges are stones that the townspeople threw at the guards who were trying to punish the defenseless Violetta for killing the ruler. Still others claim that this whole orange massacre is a symbol of the free and unbroken spirit of the city of Ivrea.

One way or another, every February here rivers of juice from “innocently murdered” oranges flow through the streets, delighting all the participants in the orange fights and amusing the spectators. The celebration ends with a victorious procession of all the “warriors”, led by a beautiful Italian woman in white robes.

If you are going to Ivrea at this time, bring plenty of warm clothes. Not because it’s cold there, but in order to protect yourself from oranges flying from all sides. A helmet won't hurt either - the head is still a rather valuable part of the body. Are you packed? Then go ahead - for the spirit of freedom and the smell of oranges!