Pasquali – Easter in the Alps

I know, I know, Easter was nearly a month ago and it’s taken me this long to do my write up and post some photos. What can I say? I’m a photographer, my thing is capturing moments not writing about them, but I do my best!

The truth is that I had an amazing Eastern stay in Bormio. Bormio is a beautiful little town in the Alps in northern Italy. Apart from its gorgeous scenery, it has a lot more to offer, slopes for ski lovers in the winter and mountain bikers in the summer, restaurants, bars, shops… You could easily spend a whole week there and still want more.

 

Well, to be honest, the brakes on my motorhome died and needed some urgent repairs so it took longer than expected to leave the town. I must say that being parked on the mechanic’s forecourt for about 10 days was one of the highlights of the whole experience though. The mechanic, Claudio, turned out to be a charming man with whom I ended up being almost friends despite he spoke no English and, obviously, my Italian is…. limited, to say the least. Anyway, Pasquali, the main Easter celebration in Bormio, was what originally took me there. I made some contacts and was lucky to meet Consuelo. She was so helpful and friendly that I can honestly say that she became another of the highlights of my visit. She organized lots of visits to people involved in the Pasquali and the preparations. It allowed me to discover much more about the tradition, people and preparations behind the scenes and the passion that everyone involved in the celebrations has. 

Pasquali takes place on Easter Sunday, it is a parade where young and old participate with the same enthusiasm. The parade consists of amazing floats (inspired by religious themes) that every group make on their own. The floats are made mostly of wood, iron and natural materials and they are true works of art. These floats are then carried through the streets. At the end of the parade, the winners are announced. 

The floats start off as nothing, just a pile of wood, a bunch of tools and a very enthusiastic group of people. For the last month or so prior to Easter men, women and children meet in a local lockup after work to build their masterpiece.

Working through the night they hammer, screw, glue and weld. Bit by bit putting together their float which will fill them with much pride.

One of my favourite floats was the one pictured above. Believe it or not, they are building a fully working organ made entirely out of wood. By turning a wheel air is pulled in and blown down various tubes and somehow a harmonious tune is played. 

Another of my favourite was this one. This one will turn out to be a fully functional water clock. Yes, a water clock. I’d never heard of it either, but it’s a thing. Water pours down into a container, when the container fills it tips over and moves a cog which moves several more cogs and eventually the minute hand of a clock moves around just a little. The water is pumped back up and it starts filling the container again. All quite impressive really.

This float is the start of a fully functioning Gutenberg printing press that produces printed scriptures from the Bible. Again quiet impressive.

The final touches are added to the water clock to get the bell working, I forgot to mention earlier there was a bell that chimed on the hour, the mechanics behind this were beyond me.

Across the town, families get dressed in traditional clothing on Easter Sunday in preparation for morning parade.

Uncles, aunts, grandparents and grandchildren all come together from across the country to create a real family atmosphere.

The young ones are certainly the cutest. Dressed in his full outfit Dani stands and looks towards me as I shot off a couple of frames.

In the early hours on of Sunday morning, the floats arrive in the town centre. For the first time they are visable to the public.

Locals discuss the ingenuity of the wooden organ as one of it’s creates plays a tune.

 

The moment has come for the procession to begin. Which means it’s time to lift.

While the men carry the heavy load women and children walk with baskets of handmade gifts to give to spectators.

The parade lasts about an hour and a half as the participants weave their way through the narrow streets of Bormio.

By this time the weight of the floats is starting to take there effect on those carrying them.

Shortly before midday, the floats arrive in the town square where crowds turned out to see what ingenious contraptions have been built this year.

At 12 noon the bells are rung out in energetic fashion.

The winners are announced and plans begin for next years Pasquali.

Visitors continue to hang around the main plaza, meanwhile the water clock is still ticking and the organ still playing.

Overall the experience was amazing and I loved the celebration, but the thing I loved most was getting to know the people. That#s what make these events so special.