None, None Giaglione
In the Susa Valley, the sword dance survives in the towns of Giaglione, Venaus, and San Giorio, where the sword bearers 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 sword dance has been paired, since 1929, with a representation linked to the legend of a deposed feudal lord, and in which the role of the sword bearers is that of brave heroes who free the oppressed community).
The sword dance is classified within that complex system of spring rites that mark the delicate transition from winter to spring, from death to rebirth. It is often linked to the presence of a wooden structure shaped like a cone trunk, decorated with ribbons, bows, flowers, and fruits, inside which blessed bread is placed. The dance they perform consists of precise movements and figures that can be traced back to ancient ceremonies meant to invoke the fertility of the fields. Even their costumes, characterized by headdresses adorned with colorful ribbons and flowers, have the same purpose.
In Giaglione, the festival is held in honor of Saint Vincent (January 22) and four sword bearers perform the dance. The other important characters of the festival are the Priors, who wear the traditional "Savoyard" costume, and the carrier of the Bran, a wedge-shaped structure that symbolizes the May tree. During the mass, a procession is performed around the church, with the sword bearers escorting the reliquary and the statue of the patron saint, accompanied by representatives of local associations, authorities, and members of the male confraternity. At the end of the mass, in the churchyard, the sword bearers perform some dances.
