Tuesday
Apr062010
Lo Scoppio del Carro
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 11:43 PM 
The origins of the Scoppio del Carro (explosion of the cart) date back to 1102. Every Easter Sunday six huge white oxen, decorated with the first flowers of spring, haul a towering cart of fireworks into the Piazza San Giovanni in Florence and stop in front of the Duomo. During the Gloria of the Easter mass going on inside, the cardinal sends a mechanical ‘dove’ whizzing down a wire stretched from the altar to the cart outside. And the dove ignites the fireworks. Boom!
The noise is terrific. While the bells of Giotto’s campanile ring out, dozens of firecrackers explode in quick succession, sounding like gunfire. I was terrified someone in the crowd would get injured at the very least. But then I figured that, since this has been happening for almost a thousand years, they probably know what they’re doing by now.
It was difficult to see what was going on. Thousands of people jostle for a glimpse of the proceedings. Stuck behind a very tall man and a child on someone’s shoulders, the best I could do was to hold my camera in the air, point it vaguely in the right direction and click the shutter.
But it caught snapshots. Of the smoke and the fireworks; of the oxen and some of the 150 or so musicians and soldiers dressed in 15th century costume; of the cart - in use for over 500 years - and of the crowds themselves.
The dove’s success in reaching and setting alight the fireworks is supposed to be a reflection of the harvest to come. So I can tell you with authority and conviction: it will be a great harvest this year.
Reader Comments (5)
Wow. How strange and beautiful. I love the flower-covered ox.
Amazing! I once spent Easter in Spain and was amazed by the many celebrations, parades and processions. What a fantastic thing to witness!
Very interesting. I think the snapsots are amazing what an experience . Remember well going to the Duomo
What an odd tradition to occur in such a grand location.
I had never heard of this. THANK YOU! Loved the cows with the flowers on their forelocks.