A ‘NTINNA

running time
1 x 74'
language
Italian (English subtitles)
country
Italy
year
2018
format
2K / HD
Director

Every August, in the province of Reggio Calabria between the Aspromonte and Serre Mountains, in the South of Italy, the patron feast of Saint George is held in the village of Martone. A festival is held around the second Sunday of this feast, known as the ‘Ntinna (the Antenna), one of the rites that is widespread in South Italy. To mark this festival, the village men go to a nearby forest to select the tallest, strongest trunk of a beech tree, along with the top of a pine tree, chosen for its graceful. In a celebratory preparation, the “male” and female” trees are joined together by chestnut tree branches to give life to
the ‘Ntinna: a symbolic “arboreal marriage” which is meant to bring good fortune to the village. The ‘Ntinna is first adorned with food and other local products, then raised by the villagers in the center of the square to the sound of bells.