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. On the second Sunday before Fat Thursday (the Thursday before lent), four processions parade within the villages, except for the inhabitants of Calchesio (in Italy) who go to Sampeyre to meet the cortege of Piasso. The following Sunday the various Baìo start at a time of Sampeyre where the solemn meeting: 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). .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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