To the sound of traditional music and dance, about 150 people, including members of the association and families of Italian descent, paraded through the neighborhoods of Guabiruba, a city in the Itajaí Valley, in Santa Catarina. The participants distributed more than 100 liters of wine to the residents who came to watch the Sfilata del Vino, the city's wine parade.
Photo: Brenda Pereira / O Município
Around 30 ornate cars and nine families of Italian descent participated in the event. “Each person prepared a little of their history, of what the family worked on, agriculture mainly, that the Italian settlers worked a lot in the fields and have cars with sawmills too. Each one brought a little bit of what their ancestors experienced”, said Amilton Stedile, organizer of the event.
Photo: Brenda Pereira / O Município
Living culture
The vast majority of Italian descendants settled in the Lageado Alto neighborhood. Aparecida Ponticelli Schlindwein was born there, but today lives in the Center. She has lived with this culture since she was a child, as her parents come from an Italian family.
Married to a German descendant, Aparecida says that she still keeps her Italian roots alive in her home. She and her husband speak in Italian and her two daughters understand the language, but respond in Portuguese because they do not speak the language.
Photo: Brenda Pereira / O Município
In addition, meals are full of typical foods such as polenta, tortéi, pasta and fortaia.
Last year, Aparecida also participated in the parade and this year she couldn't miss out on the parade. “For me it’s everything, it’s an honor. Today I am here representing the family of my late grandfather, Felício Stedile and my grandmother, who is still alive. It’s a great joy.”
Photo: Brenda Pereira / O Município
Danzila Molinari is also of Italian descent and was attending the event. She says that the family maintains some traditions, such as speaking Italian.
The resident said that this year's parade was very creative and considers that the action “is a way of not losing this strength of tradition”.
Parade and party promote tourism
The president of the Visit Guabiruba Association (Avigua), Rosemari Glatz, sees the parade and the Festa Italiana as an opportunity to bring tourists to the city in the summer. “You have a tourist, who is currently on the coast, for example, who could be in Guabiruba honoring this very important moment, which is so rich that it is impossible to describe, the issue of culture, values”, she says.
Photo: Brenda Pereira / O Município
For the next few years, the expectation is that the party will last two days and not just one day as currently happens.
9th Italian Festival
The Italian festival takes place on March 16, 2019, at Oratório Santo Antônio, Lageado Alto neighborhood, in Guabiruba.
The expectation is to receive around 3 thousand people.
Check out the party schedule:
10am – Official opening of the Festival with Holy Mass in Italian
11:30 am to 13:30 pm – Typical Italian lunch
12pm – Start of Filó Italiano with cultural presentations
18:30 pm to 20:30 pm – Typical Italian dinner
19pm – Italian competitions
19:30 pm – Dance performance by the Folk Trentino di Rodeio group
20pm – Pisa da Uva Show
20:30 pm – Paganini Family band dance
With information Brenda Pereira / The Municipality
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