Festival of the Medieval Statutes
Second week of May
This festival is dedicated to the Statutes of the Municipality of Fossato, which are amongst oldest in Umbria, first published on May 13th, 1386. They offer some wonderful insights on the daily life and affairs in the Middle Ages, a source of precious information on customs and lifestyle of this mountain village, mainly subsisting on agriculture. People and facts involved in the festival are, among the others, the Vicar, the porter, the civil guards, the castle warden and other ancient figures and offices; other highlights include the market outside the town walls, the big “focaraccio” (traditional bonfire) and the Praises that were sung at dawn in churches, abbeys and convents. It is a rigorously documented past world brought back to life.
The Arenga
Arenga is the event marking the election of authorities and other public offices; this Assembly is convened by the sound of the bell of the public tower on the last Saturday of March and is open to all male householders of the area. The Arenga convenes at the Castle square and is chaired by the outgoing Mayor. The Assembly elects the Mayor, the Vicar, the Warden of the Castle, three sindicus (regents, one for each villa) and a sindicus generalis (main regent) representing the castle.
The sindicus are elected by a majority vote of two thirds of the participants; votes are casted by slipping a bean into the “bussola rubea” (red box) in case of consent, or in the “bussola nigra” (black box) in case of dissent.
Secrecy of the vote is ensured by hiding the beans from the public and, during the assembly, speakers address the crowd from a small raised stage called “locum arenghiere”.
Only natives of Fossato are entitled to be elected.
After their election, each sindicus chooses three advisors (the sindicus generalis chooses four), who are approved by the Assembly by hand-raising.
Then, the sindicus generalis proceeds to appoint the following authorities:
9 Statute drafters (elderly in charge of the Statutes), 3 “massari” (in charge of road maintenance, landslides and claims), 1 porter (municipal messenger), 2 precones (auctioneers), 2 rationatores (auditors), 1 sapiens (an elder), 25 custodes montium (rangers), 1 camerarius (finance officer), 2 terminatores (officers in charge of marking boundaries), 1 ambaxiator (General Attorney representing the Municipality in Perugia), 2 campanari (forest guards), 2 berrovieri (civil guards), 2 collectores (collectors), 2 boni homines (who establish the rents to be paid to the Municipality). The nominations vetoed or rejected in an election cannot be submitted again until the following Arenga. The works of the Assembly are held under the torchlight.
The Focaraccio
At the end of the Arenga, a pile of wood and fagots is set on fire on the wall squares, generating a bonfire that lasts twenty minutes and can be seen in the whole valley.
Symbolically, it celebrates the coming of the Spring and is related to celebrations held until a few years ago in honor of St. Joseph, St. Peter and the Ghea.
Young people play and sing traditional songs in circle around the “focaraccio”.
For this occasion, 17 flags are exposed for the whole duration of the festival, each one representing a villa of the Castle.