Rificolona festival in Florence

Once again, the Rificolona festival has come brighten the day of September 7th for many children, who will have fun building colorful lanterns and parading them through the streets of Florence, while the more mischievous ones will arm themselves with blowguns to try and hit the delicate paper creations of others.
This colorful festival dates back to the time when the peasants used to descend into the city from the countryside to celebrate the nativity of the Madonna in the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata on September 8th.
It was also a good opportunity for them to sell their products, including dried mushrooms, textiles, vegetables and cheeses, at the fair held in the Piazza Santissima Annunziata area.
To secure themselves the best spots, peasants came to town the night ahead, lighting their way with paper lanterns, called "rificolone", and they settled in the square for the night.
The Florentines obviously, did not miss the chance to make fun of the uncouth countrymen arrived in the city for the Fierucolona, who on the other hand, tried to make the best out of the situation and in the meantime resolved to take good money form the molesters by raising the prices at the market the following day.
The subjects of mockery were above all the women, dressed poorly and garishly. They hobbled under the weight of the load they had carried from the countryside, and certainly they could not be said to be an example of grace and elegance. The people mocked them and threw watermelon skins on their lanterns, which ended up catching fire.
The name "Rificolona" comes from "Fierucolona", a term with which were in fact called these peasants, and which is still used by Florentines to define a woman who is dressed in a very flashy and unattractive way.
The celebrations on September 7th became part of the tradition and it became the use to build lanterns like those of the peasants, but unlike the latter, they took inspiration from the buxom women that accompanied them. Lanterns were made in the form of female figures with lights under their paper skirts, which were then attached to long rods and carried around the city, accompanying the parade with irreverent chants.

Today we preserve the memory of this tradition with a pilgrimage that starts from the Impruneta and arrives in Florence crossing the city and ending in Santissima Annunziata Square. Here, on the first weekend in September, has been held for years the Fierucola del pane, a market with agricultural and handicraft products.
By now the shapes of the rificolone have changed, and the female shapes have left the place to suns, moons, butterflies and flowers. Part of the artisanal character of the celebration was lost as well, as industrial-scale lanterns have almost completely replaced the home-made ones, made with paper, iron wire and wood.
But the goliardic spirit of the Rificolona celebrations remains, and if pass though the city center during the festivities, you will still hear the children singing “Ona, ona, ona, ma che bella rificolona!”("Ona, ona, ona, what a beautiful rificolona!") as by tradition.