The appointment with the religious and popular tradition is repeated: the exciting fire of the bell tower of the Basilica del Carmine in Piazza Mercato
La Feast of Carmine it is the most famous religious festival of the Neapolitan tradition, which from the 1500 still supports itself only with the funds received from the faithful. The celebration has very ancient origins and was born in honor of the “Carmine's mother", Or" Madonna Bruna ", also invoked in Neapolitan dialect as"Mamma d'o Carmene ”.
Every year, for centuries, the Feast of Carmine has its culmination in the spectacular and engaging fire in the bell tower of the Basilica Santuario del Carmine Maggiore in Piazza Mercato, which with its 75 meters represents the bell tower is the highest in the city. Tradition has it that the 15 July to 22: 00, this bell tower is completely covered by rains of fire to imitate a real fire that is extinguished only when the painting of the Virgin of Carmine arrives.
But the fire of the bell tower is only one of the most evocative events of the celebrations scheduled for the Carmine Festival in Naples that will last six days, from 11 to 16 July 2014, between appointments with art, culture, music and theatrical guided tours. In a particular fusion between popular and religious tradition, customs, devotion and folklore, which only a city like Naples is able to offer to its inhabitants and tourists.
Program of events for the 2014 Carmine Festival
Religious appointments
Sunday 13 July | 10:00 - Basilica del Carmine
139th Anniversary of the Coronation of the Icon of the Brown Madonna, with the Eucharistic Celebration presided over by HE Most Rev. Filippo Iannone Vicegerent Archbishop of the Diocese of Rome
Tuesday 15 July | 19:00 - Basilica del Carmine
The First Vespers of the Solemnity presided by the MRP Alfredo Di Cerbo, Commissioner General of the Carmelites
Wednesday 16 July | 19:30 - Piazza del Carmine
The Solemn Eucharistic Concelebration in Piazza Carmine presided over by His Eminence the Most Reverend Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Naples.
External celebrations
Saturday 12 July 2014 | 17:45 pm - Piazza Borsa
On the set of the decumanus of the sea: a trip to the places of Neapolitan cinema
On the occasion of the Festa del Carmine, a new appointment organized byCampania Movietour Association and the SIRE Cooperative. The proposed tour will lead the visitor from Borgo Orefici to the historic Mercato district, in the places that have been the background to many masterpieces of cinema
Saturday 12 July | 19:00 - Church of Santa Croce al Mercato
The Art of Canzanella in the 700th century theatrical costumes
Exhibition of the theatrical costumes created by the master Vincenzo Canzanella for actresses and actors of national and international fame who have dressed his precious handcrafted creations that in manufacturing and inspiration never hide the roots of the ancient Neapolitan sartorial mastery. Unique works that, as in a timeless theatrical piece, will animate the eighteenth-century church designed in the Bourbon period by the architect Francesco Seguro for the Festa del Carmine
Sunday 13 July | 18:00 - Church of Santa Croce al Mercato
Nora and the others
Some of the most significant female voices of contemporary Neapolitan poetry will participate, with a choral homage dedicated to many courageous female figures and, in particular, to Eleonora Pimentel Fonseca who suffered martyrdom in Piazza Mercato, at the reading organized by Costanzo Ioni. The poetesses have so far joined the event: Arianna Sacerdoti, Federica Giordano, Cinzia Caputo, Paola Nasti, Angela Schiavone, Lory Nugnes, Ketty Martino, Vera d'Atri, Floriana Coppola, Arianna Pastena
Monday 14 July | 20:00 - Piazza del Carmine
#fiumeinpiena for the Land of Fires
Un aid-concert which bears witness to the proximity of Festa del Carmine to the true needs of the people of Campania for the damage caused to public health, to the beautiful landscape and to our rural culture. An evening in which dozens of artists will perform for free to remind everyone, in the universal message of music, that together we can start again. The concert is part of the #stopbiocidio Festival project that takes place in July in many places of our beloved Campania Felix
Tuesday 15 July | 18.30 pm - Arco di Sant'Eligio
Sab kuch milega
Dj set for children by King Abou and dj Rama, in the churchyard of Sant'Eligio Maggiore, will enliven the neighborhood with the surprising vitality of the little ones. Among creative workshops, the engaging Capoeira Vulcao, puppet and clown shows there will be fun waiting for the fairy tale Fire of the Bell Tower, so loved by our children
Tuesday 15 July | 20:30 pm - Church of Santa Croce al Mercato
Madonna de lu Carmine
On stage in the splendid setting of the Church of Santa Croce e Purgatorio al Mercato, exceptionally open for the occasion, a musical path it will become a true journey through history through notes and words of musical interventions. An exciting musical itinerary will transport the public back in time to an evening that wants to pay tribute to the Madonna Bruna, very often invoked by the people of Naples as in the moments of the revolt of Masaniello
Tuesday 15 July | 21 pm - Piazza Mercato
Bici-Bus: from the Plebiscite to the Market
Cycle path which winds through the city center. The original initiative of the CicloVerdi association brings together bicycle centaurs at each "stop" to encourage an approach to the Festa del Carmine that is respectful of historical sites and the environment and includes a stop to watch the fire in the bell tower.
Tuesday 15 July | 22 pm - Piazza del Carmine
Fire of the bell tower
The highlight of the outdoor festival is the traditional and long-awaited simulacrum of the Fire of the Bell Tower by fra 'Nuvolo, which, while offering a unique playful show, reminds us that the most tender of mothers, the "Mamma del Carmine" , is next to us and protects us in every difficult moment of our life
Wednesday 16 July | 18:00 - Church of Santa Croce al Mercato
Trillante, trocola, uosso 'and presutt
A squeeze of philosophy between music and surroundings. The seventeenth century gave Neapolitan players a new refuge: the taverns, which, among other things, welcomed the genre of “Posteggia”. We will talk about the origins of the parking area, of its history and of the “Parlesia”, the secret language deriving from the Neapolitan, which was used by musicians in order not to be understood by the layman. Today the parlésia survives to emphasize belonging to the category of musicians. It will also address the Neapolitan language and culture seen in the everyday life of ordinary people
Photos | VIA
