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A Walk Through Veneto and Resia
by Anja Lorenzetti
Many of us enjoy travelling to far-away countries, excited by
the different cultural heritages. This is why, sometimes, we
seldom become aware of the variety awaiting us just around the
corner. When I began writing this article, I realised that,
even though I knew something about the areas where Italian Slovenes
live, for they are in my vicinity and I visit them often - I
know much too little. This is a pity because the beautiful nature,
lovely people and rich culture, in whom we can take pride because
of their national feeling of being Slovene, all characterise
the region beyond the state border where the descendants of
Slovenes live. I have visited Veneto and Resia, two regions
which have, in many aspects, marked the history of the Slovenian
nation.
Veneto
Slavia Veneta, or simply Benecija, designates the eastern-most
part of the Slovenian ethnic territory in the Italian Friuli-Venezia
Giulia. It extends from the Idrija River valley and the valleys
of the Nadiža River in the southeast, over the hillsides, which
close off the Friuli plain in the north, extending up to the
Alpi Carniche and the upper Torre Valley (Val Torre) in the
northeast. Today, the Nadiža River valleys with their centre
of Špetr, known historically as "San Pietro degli Slavi" - St.
Peter of Slavs, have taken over the role of uniting Venetian
Slovenes. The historic town of Cedad (Cividale del Friuli) was
founded by Julius Caesar himself. The entrance to the city is
adorned by the Devil's Bridge which takes visitors towards the
architecturally elaborate square (the Piazza del Duomo). Cividale
del Friuli holds a place of special importance in Slovenian
history. In the museum of the cathedral, there is an altar from
the period of Duke Rathis (between 737 and 744). A Latin inscription
runs around the altar and it is presumed to end in Slovenian
words: "IDE BOH ODKRIT" (God goes with sincerity). These are
presumably the first written Slovenian words.
The valleys of Nadiža are the heartland of Veneto. In my opinion,
the best view of Veneto is offered from the Stara gora church
(the Church of Santa Maria in Monte). This is an ancient pilgrimage
centre - one of three in the area at hand - where religious
people from Friuli and Slovenia have been, and are still coming.
There is another Cedad period historically important to Slovenes.
The Patriarchate of Aquileia, which also wielded secular power
between 1077 and 1419 united the Roman, Germanic and Slavic
peoples. It was on the Cedad throne that the investiture of
the Patriarchs of Aquileia took place. Each year, the inhabitants
still remember this event with the three-kings' mass with a
sword.
Cividale del Friuli Is a Town
Proudly Underscoring Its Historic Importance
It is home to an extremely proud line of Slovenes, corroborated
by the numerous headquarters of Slovenian organisations being
located there. One of the best known and active is the Ivan
Trinko Cultural Society founded in 1955. It got its name from
the Slovenian poet, who strove for the awakening of the people,
and who loved all that was Slovenian. His poems reflect the
love of the Slovenian land and language. He is one of the most
meritorious people for the preservation of the Slovene language
in this region. The events regarded as most important for Venetian
Slovenes in the Ivan Trinko Cultural Society and which are also
attended by people from all over Slovenia, are the annual Dan
emigranta (The Emigrant's Day) and the Mittelfest international
theatre festival. Novi Matajur, a Slovenian newspaper with a
massive following with regard for the Slovenian written language,
is issued in Cividale del Friuli. The spoken word is a curiosity
arousing of interest in all of these places. Walking through
the town, one can find a sort of mixture of the Friuli, Italian
and Slovenian languages. Saturdays are especially lively as
the market is full of people from both sides of the border.
As in the old days, Friulians and the inhabitants of the Nadiža,
Tolmin and Brda regions attend the fair. This is a time when
friends and relatives meet to speak to each other in their colourful
languages. Despite the Friuli and Slovenian nationalities being
so close to each other, they have, nevertheless, both preserved
their customs and their language. Today, the Slovene language
spoken in Italy is quite different from the Slovene literary
language as the former has predominantly been passed down in
oral tradition and was thus, subject to changes in the development
of individual languages.
In addition to the numerous historical landmarks testifying
to the strong Slovene national awareness in this region, many
chapels are scattered all over Veneto (Bene?ija). These pearls
of Slovenian rural gothic architecture from around 1470 are
the work of a master of the Škofja Loka School. The best known
and the best preserved is the Andrew's Chapel in the Landarska
Cave from 1477. These chapels were built in caves which the
inhabitants used as hideouts in the past. Inscriptions in the
Slovene language can be found in them.
On the route to Veneto, there is an abundance of charming villages
- each with its own distinctive features - striving to preserve
their customs. They organise festivals, various gatherings,
fairs and anything that comes to mind which might induce the
Slovene word to flow.
Even today, villagers in some villages gather in the square
with a well on a mount, telling stories - usually from the past.
Listening to the old folk, it is hard for me to imagine the
hard times that Slovenes have had to endure. The fear and the
humiliation of Slovenian people was told in the poem entitled
"Slovenija in njena h?erka na Beneškem" (Slovenia and her daughter
in Veneto) by the priest and first poet of the Veneto Republic,
Peter Podreka. The priests are largely responsible for the preservation
of the Slovene language. In the 1930s, despite the oppression
of the Slovenian identity, they followed the person responsible
for national awakening, Trinko, secretly giving masses in the
Slovene language. This secretive cooperation between priests
was beautifully described by the author, France Bevk, in his
novel "Kaplan Martin Cedermac" (Vicar Martin Cedermac). The
strong feeling of belonging and an immense desire for the preservation
of Slovenian culture are retained to this day.
There is a myriad of stories about Slovenes being passed down
by elders to their grandchildren. Among others, the story of
the inhabitants of ?rni Vrh is an interesting one. Once an important
village, it is home to only a handful of people today. Its inhabitants,
as it was written in 1898 by Musoni, are "of tall stature, with
hairy chests, which they do not hide in winter, predominantly
with light and chestnut colour hair, blue or grey eyes and thick
beards". It is considered, even today, that Crnjanci (inhabitants
of Crni Vrh) are the most similar to the original Slavic type
of man.
Resia
The Resia (Rezija) territory is made up of the Resia Valley,
the upper part of the Ucja Valley up to the border with Slovenia,
and a small part of the Beli potok gorge. The highest peak is
Kanin with an elevation of 2587 metres. The inhabitants of Resia
believe that with its mightiness, the mountain is invested with
a symbolic value, protecting and uniting them. Resia is an interesting
object for debate for experts around the world because of its
ethnographic and lingual peculiarities. Even though the Resian
language belongs to the Primorska (Littoral) group of Slovenian
dialects, it exhibits peculiarities within Slavic languages.
Unfortunately, Italian prevails today, especially among the
young people, which is why experts are arguing in favour of
the preservation of the Resian language. The first Resian grammar
is nearing completion, the language only being preserved in
devotional poems.
Resia has preserved its link to the past, exhibited in the rich
oral tradition, probably due to its isolation. Song and dance
play an especially important role in the confirmation of the
Resian identity. Instrumental music is performed by Resians
playing the violin, citira (zither) and the familiar cello with
three strings called the bunkolo. The shepherd's whistle, the
duda, was also used in the past. To preserve the distinctive
dancing style, a Resian folklore group was established which
is arousing interest around the world today. The Resians consider
1838, the year when the group appeared before Ferdinand I, to
be the beginning of the activities of the folklore group. In
addition to the group, the Monte Kanin men's choir and the Rože
Majave women's choir are quite active.
The village's celebration on the consecration of their church,
the segra, is among the best-known events in the region. The
processions through all of the villages of Resia featured the
image of St. George, decorated with ribbons and flowers, carried
around the villages. During the parade, the villagers offered
food and drink to all who participated in the procession. The
celebration was accompanied by singing and dancing. In the evening,
the procession, having passed through numerous villages, returned
to the home village by torchlight. There, a feast with fully
laden tables continued throughout the night. This custom connected
the entire Resian Valley in a ritual manner. The šmarna miša
(the Assumption Mass) is an important feast even today, and
is celebrated on 15 August in Ravanci. The religious rituals,
the mass and the procession with the statue of Mary are followed
by a secular celebration with fair stands, music and dance.
This used to be the second of three fairs where people bought
necessities. At the recent fair, the roženvenski sejem (Rosary
Fair), that took place at the end of October, cattle were sold.
The three fairs are still organised today, but have unfortunately
lost their original characteristics.
The feast of conscripts - koškritov - is an important winter
feast. These days, it is also intended for girls turning twenty.
The youth of the village gather in one of the village houses,
celebrating with music, dancing and singing Resian songs for
several consecutive evenings. They gather gifts from houses
which are then used to prepare the food and the final communal
dinner for the conscripts. On the morning of 1 January, all
the conscripts from the valley attend holy mass. They can be
recognised by the characteristic flower pinned in their buttonhole.
This is followed by a Resian lunch with a dance.
In addition to the customs already mentioned, celebrations also
include the lighting of bonfires on the summer solstice, the
kirst, which has almost been forgotten. Finally, we must also
mention the heartfelt Resian Carnival. Today, it takes place
in Bila and lasts from Shrove Thursday to Ash Wednesday when
the Carnival mascot is burnt. The pinnacles of the celebrations
take place on Saturday evening and at the Sunday noon dance
in the square called ta-na Gorici (the one on the hill). The
characteristic mask is dressed in white, wearing a high head
cover with flowers, colourful ribbons and bells. These are the
beautiful masks. There are also the ugly masks, the babaci,
whose faces are covered in black and who visit homesteads at
night, scaring children. These masks represent the spirit of
the dead, to whom the members of the community present gifts
in the shape of food, thus ensuring fertility and a good harvest
for themselves. In modern times, after the burning of the Carnival
mascot, the celebrations move to the premises of the primary
school where the people dance well into the night.
The church authorities have sadly, strongly impeded the folk
traditions, seeing them as the remains of paganism, namely,
something that was in contravention of their religious principles.
Despite the oppression, many customs have been preserved as
the rituals were of primary importance for the poor rural population.
The harsh everyday labour was broken up by rare festive moments.
All that is being expressed by the Slovenian community on the
Italian side of the border is, despite the opposing policy and
considerable limitations, the fruit of the commitment to their
roots and a firm perseverance in using their own language. This
is truly the pride of the Slovenian nation.
As has already been stressed at the beginning, Slovenian people
explore the immediate vicinity of their homes too little. There
are so many natural and cultural landmarks and so many lovely
people willing to share their priceless life experiences through
the stories they tell. I hope that by writing about the two
beautiful regions, I have awakened an interest in some of you
to visit them. This certainly holds true for me.
Summarised according to the books:
Ljudsko izrocilo Slovencev v Italiji v letih 1965-1974 (Le tradizioni
popolari degli Sloveni in Italia raccolte negli anni 1965-1974);
Pavle Merku;; Trieste 1976
Beneška Slovenija, Slavia Veneta; Milan Grego; Družina; Ljubljana
1998
Resia, Rezija; Milan Grego and Roberto Dapit; NUK; Ljubljana
2001
Od Timave do Idrije; Erika Jazbar and Zdenko Vogric; Transmedia;
Gorica 2005
Gorica, po sledovih naše prisotnosti; Erika Jazbar and Zdenko
Vogric; Transmedia; Gorica 2005
Iz kmeckih korenin sem pognal; pricevanja o preteklosti Štandreža;
Prosvetno društvo "Štandrež", President Dr. Damjan Paulin; Štandrež
1993 According to the stories by the journalist and researcher
Erika Jazbar from Gorica, Nadia from Oslavje, Dean from Trieste,
Ms Pavla from Robidišce, Mr Alojz from Cividale del Friuli and
several other Slovenes from behind the border and cultural workers
from the Kinoatelje Society from the Italian Gorica (Gorizia).
The Cathedral in Cividale del Friuli (Cedad).
Article abstracted from Sinfo.
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