Rificolona in Florence — Ona, Ona, Ona!
Ona, Ona, Ona, O che bella Rificolona, La mia l’é coi fiocchi, La tua l’é coi pidocchi! |
(Ona, ona, ona, What a beautiful Rificolona, Mine with bows is tied, In yours, lice do reside!) |
Florentine children sing this song as they wander through the streets of Florence the first week of September, carrying papier-mâché lanterns tied to the ends of sticks, called rificolone. There are several theories as to where the tradition originates from, some think it commemorates the triumphant entry of Florentine troops into Siena on August 2 1555, when the soldiers tied lanterns onto the ends of their pikes.