聖羅科之夜 La Notte di San Rocco
義大利的八月是全民放假的月份。我在盧森堡工作的第一年大部分的義大利同事都請了一個月的假回義大利過暑假。於是我不請自來地按義大利朋友們老家的地理位置安排了一套環義大利半島的行程。
August in Italy is a month of holiday for all Italians. In my first year working in Luxembourg, most, if not all, of my Italian colleagues had taken a full month of leave to spend the summer in Italy. So I invited myself to tour around peninsula Italy according to the geographic locations of my Italian friends’ hometowns.
我計畫下來的第一站是普利亞（Puglia） 南區薩倫托（ Salento）裡萊切省（Lecce） 阿夸里卡德爾卡波（Acquarica del Capo）區的蘿蔔頭家。但是離萊切市（萊切省的省府也叫萊切）最近的機場，巴里 （Bari） ，也是單向兩個小時的車程。蘿蔔頭拖著他弟開了兩個小時的車來接我晚上九點多的班機，又開了兩個小時的車回阿夸里卡德爾卡波（Acquarica del Capo）。這是我第一次到義大利，沒想到就到了義大利半島靴子形狀的靴跟上。
The first stop of the tour is Roberto’s home at Acquarica del Capo, within Lecce province, which is at the south peninsula, Salento, of the region Puglia. However the closest airport to Lecce city, Bari, is at least 2-hour away by car — one way. Roberto dragged his brother along on the 2-hour journey to pick me up when my flighted landed post 9pm, then drove another 2-hour to get back to Acquarica del Capo. This was my first time in Italy, and it just so happened that I landed myself at the heel of the boot (shape of Italy peninsula).
一出機場就被視規則為無物的停車方式給驚到了，是有車子停在規畫好的停車位內，但是更多的是找不到停車位的車子就違規停車擋住停車位的出入口。大家悠閒地把車子停著號誌燈打著，就出來靠在車屁股和隔壁一樣違規停車的閒聊。蘿蔔頭對這情況見怪不怪，他說，反正等接機殺時間嘛。
I was shocked at how people parked at the airport. There were cars parked in the authorised parking spaces, however there were more cars parked around those legally parked cars in the unauthorised areas, by completely blocking those cars. Everyone had their emergency indicators on, got out of the cars, and just chatting away with other drivers who were also illegally parked. Roberto was unphased about the scene. It’s killing time while waiting for people to arrive, he said.
在回到蘿蔔頭家之前我們停在一家糕點店，該說是糕點店和咖啡店的綜合體，店裡賣的有餐包、糕點還有一排開來各種口味的冰淇淋。我們抵達餐廳的時候已經是半夜十二點了，裡面居然還有一大堆小鬼（從兩歲到十來歲的小孩）跟在爸媽身邊擠著買冰淇淋吃。蘿蔔頭點了些火腿起司可頌，我則是目不轉睛的盯著各種口味的冰淇淋看。我問蘿蔔頭，怎麼小孩子這麼晚不睡覺的嗎？他說夏天是這樣的，所有的人，包括孩子們，都待到很晚，這是再正常不過的事。我覺得自己進入了新世界啊。
We stopped over at a pastry shop before arriving at Roberto’s. In fact the shop was more a blend of pastry and coffee shop, which sells sandwiches, pastries, and tons of different flavours of ice cream. When we got to the shop it was already past midnight, and there were still groups of kids (age 2 to 10+) with their parents buying ice cream. Roberto ordered some ham and cheese croissants while I stared at assorted ice cream. I asked Roberto why weren’t the kids in bed at this hour? He said it’s like this during summer, everyone, including kids, stay up late; that’s the norm. I felt that I had entered into a new world.
在薩倫托的重頭戲是在托雷帕杜里（Torrepaduli）的聖羅科[1]之夜[2]。在聖羅科祭典的前一夜是慶典開始的時間，伴隨慶典是皮齊卡（pizzica）音樂，最常見到伴奏的樂器是鈴鼓和手風琴。當一群人圍成圈開始用鈴鼓彈奏皮齊卡後，大家就可以自由進出圈子跳舞或是（手指）鬥劍，不過通常一次是兩個人，鬥劍的規則是不可以攻擊臉，一旦當一方碰到另一方的身體就分勝負，獲勝的那方可以繼續留在圈子裡接受挑戰。如果是一男一女的舞蹈，男女雙方不能有肢體的接觸，女方手上多半有絲巾，以不斷跳躍的方式移動，忽快忽慢，意圖讓男方不住追趕，男方則是以環狀的移動方式（手也成環抱狀）圍繞著女方。如果女方最後甲意男方的話，就會把絲巾給男方。
The big event in Salento was the Night of Saint Roch (La Notte di San Rocco) in Torrepaduli. The celebration started the night before Saint Roch’s feast, and with the celebration there was the traditional music pizzica, with tambourine and accordion being the most seen instruments played. When people formed a circle with their tambourine playing pizzica, others can freely jump into the circle to dance or fencing (with fingers); normally there’d be just two people in one go. Rules for fencing is that you do not attack the face, and if one touched the other’s body then the fight is over, with the winner to remain in the circle for others to challenge. If it’s a dance between a male and a female, then the two cannot have any body contacts, with the female having a scarf in hand, continuously leaping and hopping, fast or slow, to keep the male on his toes. While the male would dance in circular movements (also with his arms holding out in half circle) around the female. If the female likes the male, she will give him the scarf at the end of the dance.
聖羅科之夜一開始的典故是驅魔儀式。話說在以前女人地位低落，種種原因使得某些婦女出現異狀，婦女的家庭為了遮醜，說婦女是被傳說的taranta蜘蛛咬了才行為異常。為了尋求治癒，在每年聖羅科祭典的時候婦女的家人會帶她們到聖羅科的教堂請求治癒。為了取悅聖羅科，家人們請來樂師伴奏，婦女隨著音樂不斷跳動旋轉，而為了避免婦女旋轉跌倒，會有一個男人圍繞著旋轉的婦女以防萬一，聽說這是 聖羅科之夜一開始的由來。
The origin of the Night of Saint Roch celebration started as an exorcism. Back then when women had low social status, there were various reasons caused women to behave irrationally. To rationalise the abnormal behaviours, the family of these women would claim that they were bitten by a legendary spider — taranta. The family would bring the unwell women to come to the church of Saint Roch on the Saint’s feast to seek for healing. To praise Saint Roch, the family would pay for musicians to play music, and the unwell women would dance / spin continuously. To avoid the woman fell down from non-stop spinning, a man would hold out his arms around the woman to prevent the collapse on the floor. And there you have it, the legendary origin of the Night of Saint Roch.
至於為什麼慶典是晚上呢？因為以前交通不便，為了在聖羅科祭典（八月十六號）趕到聖羅科的教堂，通常前一天就會動身，而到的時候已經是晚上了。
And the reason for the celebration at night? Transportation wasn’t as convenient back then, and to ensure one can arrive at the church on time for Saint Roch’s feast (16th Aug), people would start travelling the day before, and arrive at the night before.
因為每個圈子的舞者不一樣，圍圈的樂者也不一樣。傳統跳皮齊卡是赤腳跳，不過在不平坦的磚頭路上降跳可是很痛的。樂者不能使用過吵的樂器，甚至是擴音器、電子樂器等，否則會影響到其他圈子樂者的音樂。
There were different dancers in every circle, and the music for each circle was different too. The tradition of dancing pizzica is to dance barefoot, but to dance barefoot on the uneven brick road is pretty painful. The musicians cannot use instruments which are too loud, or use amplifier, electronic instruments, etc., to avoid affecting musicians of other circles.
蘿蔔頭在慶典裡跳了一個又一個的圈子，等跳完已經是凌晨五點半的事了。當我們在凌晨拖著疲憊的身子回家時，老公公老婆婆也出來準備開始聖羅科的祭典了。
Roberto danced the night away in one circle after another, and when he was finally done, it was already 5.30am. As we dragged our tired arses home at dawn, nonnos (granddads) and nonnas (grandmas) were out getting ready for the feast of Saint Roch.
[1] 聖羅科在天主教是狗、病人、被栽贓的人、單身者等等的守護聖人。Saint Roch (Italian: San Rocco) is a patron saint of dogs, invalids, of falsely accused people, bachelors, and several other things.
[2] 聖羅科之夜和蜘蛛之夜（La Notte della Taranta）不一樣，雖然是同一個晚上的慶典，但是聖羅科之夜是有五十年歷史的的慶典，而蜘蛛之夜是為了觀光而開發的、為期兩個禮拜的慶典，有十來年歷史。The Night of Saint Roch and the Night of Taranta are different, despite the two are both celebrations on the same night. The Night of Saint Roch celebration has been around for more than half a century, while the Night of Taranta celebration has been around for over a decade, and it started off for the tourism purpose, with the celebration lasts for 2 weeks.
無三小路用通識之逃稅兵法 Useless Common Sense of The Art of War — Tax Avoidance
我們到了托雷帕杜里已經晚上十一點多了，蘿蔔頭和他弟這時決定咱們該吃晚餐，於是我們就在街道邊的攤子買了用馬肉、牛內臟做內餡的漢堡，還有用回收塑膠瓶裝的酒。
It was past 11pm when we got to Torrepaduli, and Roberto and his brother decided that we should have dinner then. So we bought some burgers with patties made of horse meat / cow intestines, and alcohol in recycled plastic bottles from stalls on the street.
我問蘿蔔頭為什麼酒是裝在回收的塑膠瓶裡，他說因為是店家自釀的酒，為了避免被發現沒有販售酒類許可證卻販售酒類，就把酒裝在回收的塑膠瓶裡。逃漏稅這事真是所有攤販的兵家大事。
I asked Roberto why the alcohols were sold in the recycled plastic bottles. He explained that the alcohols were privately brewed by the vendors, and to avoid being caught for selling alcohols illegally without the required license, vendors sell alcohols in the recycled plastic bottles. Tax avoidance is such an art of war for all street vendors.
