Volterra - Traditional Flag Games on Easter Monday.                

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Celebrating -Spring has ancient origins that can be traced back to a pagan ritual held at the spring equinox when the people of Volterra celebrated the passage from darkness to light, paying homage to the reawakening of nature after the long winter s sleep by adorning the city with garlands of spring flowers. This tradition was kept alive during the Middle Ages and it seems that on occasion of the ?majo di primavera? the townsfolk gathered in the main square early in the morning to rouse the town priors from their beds, offering them flowers and shows to celebrate the spring?s arrival. In such circumstances the flag wavers could not be missed, with their lively carousels of flags bringing color and life to the town square and throughout the streets. Each year on Easter Monday, the Historic Group of Flag Wavers offers the numerous visitors to Volterra a historic reenactment of the ancient pagan ritual, the Homage to Spring, full of folklore and entertainment for all. The event will take place in the morning with the Historic Procession, consisting of around 50 participants in medieval costumes, starting at Porta a Selci at 11:15. The procession will also include numerous choreographed shows and flag games, some of which will reenact precise historic moments of Medieval and Renaissance Volterra.