The 'historical' masquerade at Fornesighe is the only remaining one in the Val Zoldana where the elderly still remember others. The figure of the Matazin, who opens the parade accompanied by a fiery black devil, has been dying out in favour of that of the 'gnaga' who is, therefore, the fruit of a recent tradition even if there is evidence of similar characters in Italy, at least in the eighteenth century. It regards the allegory of the 'Old' who makes way for the 'New', namely the Power that passes on to the new adult generation represented by the Conscript who, as such, acquired the rights and obligations arising out of his new social condition28. In practice, the youth seems to be carried in a pannier by an old woman which, in reality, is tacked on later on the front of the figure. Other typical characters in the parade are the Doctor and the Wet nurse with an infant, the Woman from Ampezzo with the Gentleman, the Godfather and the Godmother and the 'Coco' charged with collecting eggs in the customary collection, as well as the usual musicians without whom there could be no Carnival.
Text by Gianluigi Secco
04-30-2026
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