Traditions

The numerous archaeological findings in the Susa Valley point to Celtic presences. Many anthropologists would date some of the main historical and folkloric traditions of the Valley to this era.
Examples include the Spadonari with their "Sword Dance," a tradition still alive in the municipalities of Giaglione, Venaus, and San Giorio, but also present in other localities such as Salbertrand and Chiomonte; the "Bear Dance" of Mompantero, which references Roman and Celtic cults and symbolizes winter giving way to spring; and the presence of symbols linked to the "Tree of Life" that acquire different names in the region: Puento in Chiomonte, Bran in Meana and Giaglione, Charintel in the Ramats of Chiomonte, Chantè di Millaures in Bardonecchia.

In addition to these winter-ending rites, traditional Carnivals, common throughout the entire alpine arc and beyond, celebrate the arrival of spring and are often dated to Roman times. In many villages of the Valley, the tradition of the Carnival Bonfire is still kept alive, burned precisely as a symbol of rebirth. Alongside public celebrations in which the carnival is transformed into a parade of masks and floats, ancient enactments in the Susa Valley contribute to the transmission of cultural and linguistic traditions. In particular, these examples of valuing alpine cultural heritage are found in the ancient Carnival of Lajetto in Condove with the typical Barbuire masks, in the traditional Carnivals of Salbertrand and Bardonecchia which feature the "Trial of Carnival" and consequent burning, and in the Carnival of Champlas du Col in Sestriere (reintroduced during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games).