The origins of the Celebration of Calendimaggio of Assisi go back to the pagan traditions, which celebrated the return of Spring, therefore the renew of the life cycle through joyful ceremonies.
These were celebrations born from the emotions of the ancient people of Umbria. The spirit with which the celebration of the arrival of Spring shaped was a tribute to love and to the rediscovered joy of living, after the harsh and cold days of winter. People danced, drank wine from the previous year after resting, and sang. Ancient chronicles and the very same documents that concern the life of Saint Francis affirm that during his youth, he excelled on the composition of dance poems and cantos.
This custom protracted for centuries. The people's participation is profound: during these nights the city dwellers took a break from their daily routines of returning home at the sound of the bell – which announced the two-hours-after the Ave Maria – and remained on the streets to hear the minstrels.
In 1954, with the enthusiasm of the whole city, the celebration acquired the suggestive form which still holds nowadays. The competition of the two “Parts” of the city – the upper (Parte de Sopra) and lower (Parte de Sotto) – historically in dispute between them, returns. The two factions give birth to a dispute which recalls the times of the civil strifes, and the people's participation is so intense that for three days the city relives that atmosphere which characterized it for centuries.
The celebration of the Calendimaggio lasts for three days. For some decades the dates have been the same: from the 29th of April to the 1st of May, as the medieval tradition imposed. For some years now it has been decided to celebrate the Calendimaggio on variable days, to avoid the concurrence with other laical celebrations.
For this reason the Calendimaggio takes place during the first Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays of May, which don't include the 1st day of May.
Consult the program of the celebration, which this year will take place from Wednesday the 8th to Saturday the 11th of May, and live the medieval spirit of Assisi!