Every last Sunday of Carnival, in Castelnuovo al Volturno, a hamlet of Rocchetta a Volturno, the evocative rite of “Gl’ Cierv” takes place, the Deer Man, an archaic representation that symbolizes the passage from winter to the rebirth of nature. The small village becomes the theater of an ancient pantomime, which mixes magical-religious rituals and hunting scenes, evoking the struggle between primordial forces.
The event begins with the obsessive tinkling of cowbells and the arrival of the Janare, witches who announce the ritual. The Zampognari follow, until the cry that announces the appearance of the Deer, “Gl’ Cierv”. The actor who plays him is covered in skins, with large horns and a blackened face. He symbolizes the cold, hunger and winter violence, unleashing himself furiously on the crowd, destroying and attacking everything he encounters.
Shortly after, the Doe enters the scene, with a more harmonious appearance, who tries in vain to tame the beast with an amorous dance. Only the intervention of Mago Martino, a benevolent figure from the mountain, manages to momentarily stop the animals, who are tied up but refuse the food offered as a sign of peace by a local woman. They soon manage to free themselves, resuming their fury until the arrival of the Hunter, the avenger who, with his shots, puts an end to the devastation. The animals fall to the ground in a funereal silence, but the Hunter blows in their ears, bringing them back to life and thus marking the rebirth of nature.
The ritual of “Gl’ Cierv” contains two profound meanings: on the one hand it recalls the Dionysian myth and the need for a sacrificial death for the renewal of life; on the other it represents the ancestral fears of man in the face of the unknown and the destructive force of nature. This celebration, handed down over the centuries, preserves the charm and mystery of a distant time, reaffirming the bond between man and the life cycle of the earth.