Carnevale di Ivrea

Festival Location: Ivrea, Italy

Festival Type(s): Bizarre Festivals, Carnivals, Parties

Orange Battle at Canrevale di Ivrea

By: © Michael J. Rosen 2009

''It's Not Violent, But it Is a Way to Release Your Own Inner Violence."

- annual Orange Battle participant Mario Bianchi

Unlike La Tomatina, the ammunition at Italy's Carnevale di Ivrea's orange battle doesn't get squished before it is hurled in the streets. It may, however, become smushed after colliding with the helmets that keep faces from leaking their own natural juices.

Held since the 19th century, the orange battles represent a rebellion against feudal lords waged in 1194. Or, as another story goes, commoners incited a riot when a local woman presented the head of the marquis from her balcony; the cruel leader had attempted to deflower her on the eve of her wedding. Today, in the name of democracy, monogamy, or vitamin C, 3,000 people divided into nine teams (they represent the rebellious commoners) bombard six-person horse-drawn carriages of "castle defenders" (they represent the guards of the aristocracy) with a barrage of one million oranges.

Judges, including the castle defenders themselves, give awards to the top-performing teams, each stationed at a particular "battleground." Fortunately for some squads, awards aren't based on their nicknames. Teams such as Death and the Mercenaries try to turn the castle defenders to pulp, while the Chessmen disprove the notion that they're merely pawns.

No Dribbling the Squid

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