Italy-Piedmont

Sampeyre. Val Varaita. The baìo (also known as "Baìo di Sampeyre") is a traditional festival that takes place every five years in the municipality of Sampeyre, in the Valle Varaita in the province of Cuneo. Abba (the generals, called the Hebrew father) exchange greetings with swords and parade to the square where four groups form and the participants dance. The Baìo was one of the most important and ancient traditional festivals in the Italian Alps. The tradition's origins date back to between 975 and 980, when teams of Saracens who had penetrated the valley to control the alpine passes, were driven away by the local population. The festival commemorates the expulsion of these invaders. The Baìo is composed of four parades (or "armies"), coming from the provincial capital Sampeyre (Piasso) and its three hamlets: Rore (Rure), Calchesio (Chucheis), and Villar (Vilà).

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Contained in galleries: Italy-Piedmont-Bajo, the Occitan winter celebration

Sampeyre. Val Varaita. The baìo (also known as "Baìo di Sampeyre") is a traditional festival that takes place every five years in the municipality of Sampeyre, in the Valle Varaita in the province of Cuneo. Abba (the generals, called the Hebrew father) exchange greetings with swords and parade to the square where four groups form and the participants dance. The Baìo was one of the most important and ancient traditional festivals in the Italian Alps. The tradition's origins date back to between 975 and 980, when teams of Saracens who had penetrated the valley to control the alpine passes, were driven away by the local population. The festival commemorates the expulsion of these invaders. The Baìo is composed of four parades (or "armies"), coming from the provincial capital Sampeyre (Piasso) and its three hamlets: Rore (Rure), Calchesio (Chucheis), and Villar (Vilà).