In Lucca Carnival finishes in Lent:

Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday have passed. We are now in Lent, “Quaresima”  so Carnival has finished. Well, not In Lucca the last day of carnival is the first Sunday in Lent, the  “Quadragesima”  and here in Lucca it is known as the feast of the “Tabernella”. But what is the "Tabernella" and the meaning of the name? This Weekend in Lucca despite the Coronavirus fears around the world all the children were in the piazza like any other year, dressed in costumes and playing “ pentolaccia” a game where children hit a bag full of sweets suspended in the air until the bag breaks and then all the kids gather as many sweets as possible.


But where does this tradition come from and why Lucca?
The Legend is as follows: eight centuries ago on the first Sunday of Lent the then Bishop of Lucca Anselmo was walking down the hill from the village of Monte San Quirico just outside Lucca where he had consecrated a church. As he approached the Serchio to cross the river to return to the city he was met by two Roman Legates, high ranking soldiers, who gave to him the papal insignia and proclaimed him Pope. Anselmo was so overwhelmed by this unexpected news that he bent down and filled his hands with sand and threw the grains into the wind proclaiming as many indulgences as grains of sand for all those who went to visit the church in Monte San Quirico on that day and from that day on the “Domenica della Tabernella“ was born. The name probably derives from the eating house where the people of Lucca partied and feasted. The Lucchese are very pious and so to many, it seemed wrong to have another day of fun so Carnival was extended to cover the Tabernella.