Dance of Swords
Dance of Swords
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None, 10050 San Giorio di Susa
In the Susa Valley, the sword dance survives in the towns of Giaglione, Venaus and San Giorio, where the spadonari have the task of accompanying the statue of the patron saint during the procession in his honor (with the sole exception of San Giorio, where the dance of the swords has been combined, since 1929, with the representation linked to the legend of a dethroned feudal lord and in which the role of the spadonari is that of courageous heroes who liberate the oppressed community).
The sword dance is included in that complex system of spring rites that mark the delicate moment of transition from winter to spring, from death to rebirth. It is often connected to the presence of a wooden structure in the shape of a truncated cone, decorated with ribbons, bows, flowers and fruits and inside which blessed bread is placed. The dance in which they engage is made up of precise movements and figures that can be traced back to ancient ceremonials intended to invoke the fertility of the fields. Even their costumes, characterized by headdresses adorned with colorful ribbons and flowers, serve the same purpose.
The performance of the spadonari of San Giorio instead is included in the representation of the legend of the suppression of the feudal lord, a medieval re-enactment focused on the symbolic liberation from a local tyrant who exercised the right of jus primae noctis, or the privilege of being able to spend the first wedding night with the new brides. The sword dance of San Giorio takes place as part of the religious festival dedicated to the saint, on 23 April, and takes place at the foot of the town's castle. Some important characters of the representation are Mignona, the young bride threatened by the feudal lord, escorted by the abbesses, the groom or abbà, and obviously the feudal lord. During the festival, the bloody killing of the local lord is staged and then the day continues with processions, performances by the swordsmen and sacred offices.
