Naca in Davoli: An Easter Tradition

You see the parade of lantern-covered fir trees, and you check the calendar, thinking somehow it might be Christmas. But no, it's almost Easter.

Welcome to Naca. My favorite holiday in Davoli and all of Calabria.

The History of Naca in Davoli

While Naca processions can be found throughout Italy on Venerdi Santo (the Friday before Easter), there's nothing like what they do in Davoli anywhere else in the country.

The tradition has roots in Spain, from as far back as the 1700s, since Spain was one of the countries that conquered parts of Calabria. Word has it that at one time, a similar tradition happened in parts of Spain.

So what is Naca?

Generally, it's a religious procession where a statue of Jesus laid to rest after his crucifixion (this is what is called the naca) is carried throughout the village. It's a somber event, and a dirge is sung as people slowly walk behind the statue.

In Davoli, you find this procession and statue...but you also find something incredibly magical.

Following the statue of Jesus, dozens and dozens of fir trees (this year, there will be 80) covered with colored paper lanterns are carried by boys and men (and the occasional woman). They work in groups, taking turns to carry the tree, which, understandably, can be fatiguing work since these trees can rise as high as 40 feet!

The lit-up trees meander slowly through the streets of Davoli for several hours. Though it's, in theory, a melancholy event, it lifts my soul to see all the lanterns swaying with the movement of the trees.

Harvesting the Trees

Though this will be my third time attending Naca in Davoli, I'd never before gone with the men (and three other women this year) to harvest the fir trees. I decided this was the year to see what this experience was like!

I was pleased to discover that the men of Davoli cut the trees in an environmentally pleasing way. There's a company outside of Serra San Bruno that processes trees to turn them into biomass for energy. They monitor the surrounding forests, and when we arrive with the giant trucks, they direct us to the forest that needs thinning out.

After the event, the trees are returned to the processing plant and turned into energy.

The men, mostly under 40 or 50 years old (with a few veterans still coming out to watch), are extremely professional in this work. They identify the best tree to cut, use a chainsaw, and drag it down the mountain and to the trucks.

In just a couple of hours, they'd cut and loaded 80 trees of varying sizes. (The big, strong men carry the heavy, tall trees, while children carry the smaller ones.)

After the hard work was done, we drove to a picnic area and began to celebrate. As ever in Calabria, the homemade wine was free-flowing, and everyone generously shared their locally-made pecorino cheese, sopressata

(thanks, Zia Marianton'!), pickled mushrooms, and bread. Then came the pasta, cooked over a gas stove. Then cake. Nothing like an Italian picnic!

Some of the men had been liberal with the wine, and they seranaded us over and over again with...you'll never guess..."Happy Birthday!" The birthday of one of the men was a few days before, so they sang and sang and SANG to him!!

When the bottles of wine had drained dry, the sober among us began the slow drive back to Davoli. We took a bumpy mountain road back that I'd never seen, and I marveled, yet again, at the beauty surrounding my home in Calabria.

We arrived in Davoli, and the horns started blowing. The younger folk climbed on top of the truck bed with the trees to wave to everyone, who came outside to wave back from balconies in Davoli. It felt so festive!

The trees were carried through Davoli's streets and positioned to await being adorned with lanterns on Friday.

It was a beautiful day, and I loved hearing stories from so many people about how they'd been attending this event for decades.

Awaiting the Big Night

I've written before about the night of Naca, so you can read about that rather than me rehashing it. But I'll share a few other things.

For Fra and I, Naca is OUR celebration. We met two years ago when I came for a tour of Davoli the week before Naca. We saw each other again that night. He gave me a fir branch and a lantern to carry around, and I still have it!

The fun starts around seven when people arrive. They come from all over Calabria for this event, so it gets pretty crowded. They begin decorating the trees around eight, and it's magic to walk around and see them leaning from balconies to light the lanterns.

Some people in town light lanterns from their balconies or stairs, so as we walk through town, it's like seeing Christmas lights.

Now that I know so many more people in my future town of Davoli, it's a great social event. I love stopping to kiss and chat with people I haven't seen in months (or even days!).

At 10, the procession begins. Don Nicola (the cool 40-year-old priest who encourages people to call him Don Ni) somberly carries the cross, followed by men carrying the statue of Jesus. We fall in line toward the back, where Fra, his brother, and friends have their tree. It's hours of walking, singing, chatting, and generally enjoying a pleasant night together.

When Italians ask me if we have anything like the traditions and processions they have in Italy, I tell them no, sadly we do not. And it's to our own detriment. It's traditions like these that connect the past to the present, and I have to say, it's a beautiful thing that I am honored to be a part of.