Spettacolo e rito festivo. Un’introduzione

Abstract

This article explores the role of festivities as key opportunities for communal gatherings, which occur during extraordinary times that disrupt daily routines and foster mutual recognition of shared belonging. Festivals provide a unique space-time where community members come together to experience stories, whether narrated or performed, reinforcing a collective worldview. These events (re)define cultural memories, as articulated by Egyptologist Jan Assmann, by intertwining memory (past reference), cultural perpetuation (tradition), and identity (political imagination). This synthesis of normative values and narrative recollection helps reconstruct a sense of belonging and collective identity. The portrayal of historical and mythical pasts in festivals is adapted to contemporary needs and desires. Festive rituals serve as cyclical moments for the community to reconnect with its deities, reestablish natural and social order, and celebrate the "foundations of existence". These rituals are inherently spectacles, as religious rites must be public events involving community members and the gods through their representations. Festive rituals exhibit a degree of "theatricality", acting as public theatrical events where performers and audience interact. Similarly, traditional performances, from theater to oral storytelling, possess a ritualistic character, even if not explicitly religious. This article delves into the interplay between ritual and spectacle in festivals, highlighting their significance in cultural identity and memory formation.