https:\/\/www.calabriatheotheritaly.com\/lent-in-italy-calabrian-tradition\/?fbclid=IwAR3nptIiW40RxkdagZcDpVEjozCoCKcoofgTooswgwXUZCAqtOeXjNGmm6g<\/a><\/p>\n If you happen to be celebrating Easter in Calabria and you arrive a little early, you may just come across what looks like a ragdoll hanging from a balcony or the side of a house. Not to panic, this is not some form of\u00a0malocchio<\/em>\u00a0or evil eye, but\u00a0Corajisima<\/em>, a traditional practice during Lent in Italy, specifically, Calabria and other areas of the south.<\/p>\n WHAT IS\u00a0CORAJISIMA<\/em>?<\/p>\n Corajisima<\/em>\u00a0is more a who than a what. She is the wife or perhaps more accurately said, the widow, of\u00a0Carnevale<\/em>. She can also be called the\u00a0sorella <\/em>or sister of\u00a0Carnevale<\/em>. After the great feast of\u00a0Marted\u00ec Grasso<\/em>\u00a0or Fat Tuesday,\u00a0Carnevale<\/em>, the embodiment of the revelries, dies. Poor\u00a0Corajisima<\/em>\u00a0remains alone. Usually depicted as an ugly, skinny old woman with a decidedly unsettling appearance, she represents abstinence in the Lenten period.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In some towns,\u00a0Corajisima<\/em>\u00a0starts out immediately after midnight of\u00a0Marted\u00ec Grasso<\/em>, roaming the streets and setting out pots full of boiling water to burn the throats of whoever dares to eat meat during Lent. Just the mere thought of such a horror has been known to scare children away from sweets for a good long time.<\/p>\n In the town of Palmi, for example, the children chant these verses:<\/p>\n Calabrian Italian English WHAT IS\u00a0QUARESIMA<\/em>? Quaresima<\/em>\u00a0comes from the Latin\u00a0quadragesima<\/em>\u00a0and in addition to\u00a0Corajisima<\/em>\u00a0has also been transformed to\u00a0Curemme<\/em>,\u00a0Quarjisime<\/em>,\u00a0Quaraj\u00ecsima<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Quaremme<\/em>\u00a0in various Calabrian dialects. Needless to say, it isn\u2019t a compliment when the word pops up in the description of someone, such as in these\u00a0proverbi calabresi<\/em>\u00a0(Calabrian proverbs) in\u00a0calabrese<\/em>(Calabrian),\u00a0italiano<\/em>\u00a0(Italian) and English:<\/p>\n Si chi\u00f9 longu de corajisima. Pari na corajisima<\/em>. Figures of\u00a0Corajisima<\/em>, a woman who\u2019s clearly seen better days, appear on Ash Wednesday. They dangle from windows, balconies, doorways, chimneys, laundry lines, or anywhere else they\u2019ll hang. Usually clothed in long black dresses with white faces whose eyes, nose and mouth are embroidered in black thread, the Corajisima<\/em>holds a spindle and distaff in her hands, the thread between them representing the forty days of penitence, such as doing without meat and avoidance of culinary excesses, sober conduct and even conjugal abstinence.<\/p>\n Corajisima<\/em>\u00a0usually stands on an orange, lemon or potato with seven feathers attached. One feather is removed each week after Sunday mass, with the last being taken away on Easter morning. The\u00a0joyful ringing of church bells on\u00a0Pasqua<\/em>\u00a0(Easter) signals the end of repentance and the return to good living as in this Calabrian proverb:<\/p>\n Gloria sonandu campanara mangiandu<\/em>. Lent in Italy and many of its accompanying rituals connect historically with ancient pagan observances. In tune with the rhythm of nature,\u00a0Corajisima<\/em>\u00a0is tied to the cycle of the seasons, as in the reawakening of the earth for the arrival of spring. For instance, in the mythology of Greater Greece that flourished throughout Southern Italy, the end of winter coincided with the goddess Persephone coming out from the underworld as the personification of vegetation. The Romans called her Proserpina. This precarious time anticipating the rebirth of the natural and spiritual worlds has found its expression in a simple, handmade doll with fruit, feathers and spinning tools attached, all full of symbolism and a way to persevere until the arrival of spring and the resurrection.<\/p>\n These sad, scary ragdolls aren\u2019t as easy to spot as they once were. The tradition has all but died out in many towns and villages, but in the past few years, there has been a resurgence of the custom. And of course there are always variations, such as the use of an onion or a\u00a0caciocavallo<\/em>(a semi-hard cheese resembling a sack on a string) in which to stick the chicken feathers, or perhaps with a modern doll or even without.<\/p>\n But as delightful a tradition as it is, the coming of spring and Easter will always be a relief, as in this old saying that expresses the less-than-ideal situation when in the presence of\u00a0Corajisima<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u2018U ventu \u2018no volava, \u2018u mari \u2018no vagava, Corajisima aspettava<\/em>.<\/p>\n Il vento non volava, il mare non bagnava, mentre Corajisima aspettava<\/em>.<\/p>\n The wind wasn\u2019t blowing, the sea wasn\u2019t lapping while\u00a0Corajisima<\/em>\u00a0was hanging around.<\/p>\n Thus,\u00a0Buona Pasqua<\/em>\u00a0(Happy Easter) and\u00a0Bentornata Primavera<\/em>\u00a0(Welcome Back, Spring)!<\/p>\n Article by Karen Haid. Interested in Italian traditions and lifestyle? Read more about this fascinating southern region in\u00a0<\/em>Calabria: The Other Italy<\/a>, a\u00a0nonfiction, award-winning book that explores daily life, culture, history, the arts, food, society and tourism of Calabria, Italy. Available in paperback and e-book versions. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cLike\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Calabria: The Other Italy\u2019s Facebook page<\/a>\u00a0and follow Karen on\u00a0Karen\u2019s Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Karen\u2019s Twitter<\/a>\u00a0for more beautiful pictures and information.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lent in Italy \u2013 Corajisima, A Calabrian Tradition This article is from Calabria: The Other Italy. Check out this website to see additional information and pictures: https:\/\/www.calabriatheotheritaly.com\/lent-in-italy-calabrian-tradition\/?fbclid=IwAR3nptIiW40RxkdagZcDpVEjozCoCKcoofgTooswgwXUZCAqtOeXjNGmm6g If you happen to be celebrating Easter in Calabria and you arrive a little early, you may just come across what looks like a ragdoll hanging from a … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ifafa.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Corajisima-Calabria-1-300x201.jpeg\")
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\n<\/u>Coraisima cu\u2019 lu fusu
\n<\/em>Quandu cadi si rumpi lu nasu
\n<\/em>Si lu menti \u2018nta pertusu
\n<\/em>Coraisima cu\u2019 lu fusu.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/u>Quaresima col fuso
\n<\/em>Quando cade si rompe il naso
\n<\/em>lo nasconde in un buco
\n<\/em>Quaresima col fuso.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/u>Corajisima with the spindle
\nWhen she falls she breaks her nose
\nShe hides it in a hole
\nCorajisima with the spindle.<\/p>\n
\nQuaresima<\/em>\u00a0is the word used for Lent in Italy, or the forty days between\u00a0Carnevale<\/em>\u00a0or Mardi Gras and Easter. It\u2019s the period of abstinence that seems to never end, judging by the Italian expression, \u201cessere lungo come la quaresima<\/em>\u201d (literally, to be long like Lent).<\/p>\n
\n<\/em>Sei estremamente lento nel fare le cose.
\n<\/em>You do things very, very slowly.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
\nSembri una Corajisima.
\n<\/em>You look like a Corajisima. (In other words, old and wizened)<\/p>\nLENT IN ITALY \u2013\u00a0STILE CALABRESE<\/em>\u00a0(Calabrian Style)<\/h4>\n
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\nGloria suonando, dolci mangiando<\/em>.
\nGlory ringing, sweets are eaten.<\/p>\nNATURE AND TRADITION<\/h4>\n
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\n<\/em>Photos are courtesy of\u00a0Nerofumo<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ifafa.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Calabria_The-Other-Italy-199x300.jpg\")
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