from the medieval archaic Carnival to a modern one

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Carnival in Putignano takes on a different connotation from previous centuries, in fact until then it had been an archaic / medieval event, purely of a peasant character, based precisely on songs, dances and performances in the vernacular with the common denominator satire and irony. to mock the strong powers and the related management figures, the offshoots take hold from there.

 

At the beginning of the twentieth century, therefore, a sort of institutionalization of the Carnival begins, which becomes a moment of aggregation, of popular festivities and the involvement of various social classes, starting from artisans, small traders to also reach the bourgeoisie. It is from this moment that the Carnival takes on a more modern aspect and begins to become more consumerist and connotative of the city that sees it born.

 

It was in the 1930s that, thanks to a group of artisans, the papier-mâché work was started and the creation of small artifacts that gradually took the place of puppets until then made with straw, sawdust and rags. Small static creations obtained with newspaper sheets glued in layers thanks to flour glue. Before those years the Carnival floats were usually made up of tows decorated with vines, ivy and branches on which entire family groups in masks paraded around the Chiancata with the accompaniment of musical instruments that dispensed joy and smiles.

 

The first allegorical float completely in papier-mâché was made in 1936 by two artisans, Filippo and Marino Pugliese. The artifact, supported by a solid wooden structure and a chicken coop wire mesh, in addition to papier-mâché also included the use of confetti as a choreography during the parade: the wagon allowed not only the movement of the trunk, but also the presence in the belly of the animal of some children who blew confetti right through the proboscis on the spectators participating in the event. The reinforced structure was able to withstand even the weight of 6 people.

 

This development, which took place in the first thirty years of the twentieth century, undergoes a transformation with the advent of Fascism and the models of social life it disseminated.