Dances, songs, smiles and lots of fun in the lower part of the historic village.

The culture of dance during the Carnival period in Putignano has ancient origins. It was a recurring custom in the 50s - 60s to organize dance evenings in the lower part of the historic village. Rooms subjected to street level were enriched with colors, decorations and thanks to the orchestras of local musicians and attracted masked and non-masked groups on Thursdays of Carnival, and on the Saturdays before the parades of allegorical floats.

The "jos'r" are ancient underground rooms of the old city that are set up with cloth ribbons hanging from the ceiling, chairs placed along the perimeter of the rooms and a table in a corner with the typical products of the local gastronomy.

 

The "pignate" or terracotta pots had cooked the "brasciole nel sugo" for long hours, the typical meat rolls stuffed with garlic, parsley, cheese which then rolled up in string, were drowned in tomato sauce. The wine was the typical one, intense red, alcoholic, harvested in September of the previous year. The "Chiacchiere di Carnevale" are the sweets that, together with the traditional almond sweets, are eaten in this period.

 

Orchestras composed mostly of self-taught musicians played live music then in vogue such as ballroom dance, waltz, tango and even American music.

 

The carnival season ended with the "carnival balls" which were held in the municipal theater or in the various party halls. We started on the last Sunday with the first appointment, to then move on to the party identified with "a ser d mminz" or that of Monday and finally with the most important one, that of Shrove Tuesday.