The group of archaic masks is guided by Matazin and Laché who are equal characters with gaudy (regal) clothes, rich in bright veils and coloured ribbons. They wear a high tube made annually, richly adorned with precious stones, pearls, mirrors and gold which were once collected from the families to whom they were returned at the end of the holiday. They carry the sceptre of their authority in one hand and sweets for the bystanders in the other. They wear sweet-sounding rattles and must stay in motion by walking or dancing together. They leap face to face during the dance and this pairing is their most significant action. The Matazins are accompanied by Clowns who soil the bystanders with ashes and control them with a staff.
During the ball in the square, the 'Mata' dance with women among the public as a good omen for fertility and sometimes accept the invitation of some man who yearns even more for luck. The group of old characters travel separately from the rest of the procession with the group of musicians who are unfailing co-stars of the parade. In the last half century, the procession of 'Mata' has been joined by new characters to satisfy the call for better female representation; the new characters were first interpreted by men and then directly by the 'conscripts'. The Matazine are the female version of the Matazin while the Matazère are the representations in darker tones of the same masks. Every village in Comelico Superiore has its own typical characters, similar in function and name but different in the little particulars created for the sake of local pride. As is proper, everyone thinks that their own carnival is better and "more original". This is how it is in Casamazzagno, Candide and Padola but they certainly won't let the side down in Basso Comelico either.
Text by Gianluigi Secco
04-30-2026
| Institutional and human capacities | , | |
| Transmission and education | , | |
| Inventorying and research | , | |
| Policies as well as legal and administrative measures | , | |
| Role of intangible cultural heritage and its safeguarding in society | , | |
| Awareness raising | , | |
| Engagement of communities, groups and individuals as well as other stakeholders | , | |
| International engagement | , | |
| References | , |
|
.png)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.png)
.jpg)
_(31711258567).jpg)
