Strange Carnivals - Battle of The Oranges in Ivrea Carnival (GALLERY)

The unique and curious Ivrea Carnival is claimed to be the most ancient carnival in the world. It takes place in the Medieval town of Ivrea in Piedmont, Italy. The Carnival is a festivity of ancient origins (end of 12th century) which recalls, among other things, the rebellion of Ivrea against the Ranieri tyranny, symbolized by the famous Battle of the Oranges.

The traditional orange throwing has its roots in the middle ages, where beans were used in this battle. People continue the orange throwing to this day; this year it ran from Feb 3-5.

Legend says that twice a year the feudal lord gave a pot of beans to the poor families who, out of disrespect, threw them into the streets. The same pulses were also used at carnivals as fun ammunition to be thrown at the backs of unsuspecting adversaries. Around the thirties and sixties of last century, girls started to throw some oranges from their balconies onto the parade carriages together with confetti, lupins and flowers. The targets of these were the boys by whom the girls wanted to be noticed. Only after the Second World War did the battle become the present contest following fixed rules.

Today the contest is still enacted in the main squares of the town where teams in carriages (symbolising the tyrant’s guards) battle against the orange thrower teams on foot (the rebellious commoners) which consist of hundreds of throwers. Anybody can take part by enlisting in one of the nine teams on foot or becoming a member of a carriage crew.