Once a year, on the eve of Maslenitsa, residents of the old medieval city of Ivrea in Italy gather in the main square to throw oranges at each other.
As the city prepares to celebrate again, we look at the work of photographer Andrea Capello, who documented the event last year.
The origin of the so-called battle for oranges dates back to medieval times and is said to mark the day when the inhabitants of the city were freed from the harsh rule of the evil duke.
Where does the number of oranges come from?
Especially for this battle, 500 tons of oranges from Sicily are brought annually. This is a necessity, because in this way Italians can continue the historical tradition. This is a rather interesting event, if observed from the side. Residents defend their city, throwing opponents on carts.
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The course of the holiday
The main celebration is based on the locally known battle of oranges, in which more than one thousand citizens participate, divided into 9 combat teams. They hold a large-scale orange battle, throwing each other with citrus fruits on traditional carnival days: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Traditionally, the carnival falls on February (sometimes earlier, in March): it ends on the night of Shrovetide Tuesday. Traditionally, at the end of a silent march, which is a signal to close the carnival, the “general” makes a farewell speech, addressing all participants in the battle with the classic phrase arvedse a giobia a 'n bot, translated as “we will see on Thursday at that hour”.
