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| La notte del Cucibocca by Rocco Soranno, Wikipedia |
Silentium sit vobis charum ut vivet non sit amarum [1]At eventide on January 5th, the night before the Epiphany, dark and mysterious figures known as the Cucibocca descend from the ancient Benedictine Abbey of St. Michael the Archangel to wander the cobblestoned streets of Montescaglioso, a small hilltop town in Lucania, in search of the nove bocconi, or the “nine bites.” Knocking on peoples doors or visiting outdoor tables laden with nine different offerings, the locals proffer generous libations (wine) and alms (food) for the Cucibocca’s nocturnal visitation.
Dressed in black cloaks, overcoats, and broad brimmed hats made from old hemp disks from the towns historic oil mill, the grey haired and long bearded revenants represent the Montese’s ancestral spirits. On their journey, the eldritch pilgrims carry long walking sticks, lanterns, wicker baskets, and cobbler’s awls with twine. What’s more, they have orange peels for eyes and broken chains fastened around their ankles.
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| The Wanderer in the Snow by Karl Hofer |
According to popular beliefs, they are the Poor and Forgotten Souls in Purgatory who were given a brief respite from the purifying flames to visit their descendants and herald the coming end of the Christmas and New Years festivities.
Some say they are reenacting the medieval peregrinations of mendicant pilgrims, hermits, and transhumant shepherds who once travelled the ancient paths through Montescaglioso towards the mystical hill-top Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo in Gargano, Puglia. Their entreaties bear comparison with the popular Lucanian legend of a vengeful monk who cursed a farmer and put a spell on his crops when he did not provide alms. Similarly, the Cucibocca threatens children (personifying the future) if he doesn’t receive his gifts.
Others claim the Cucibocca are not merely wandering spirits or pilgrims, but they’re actually beasts who regained the gift of speech (as they do on the Christmas Vigil). This, it has been conjectured, has its roots in the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, where things and the natural order were reversed. Freed from their bonds for the night, they are said to be able to predict the future and curse the men who mistreat animals. They are often associated with owls who are also nocturnal and prophetic in nature. However, woe to anyone who hears them speak, for only good children can listen and understand them without deadly consequences.
Brimming with symbolism, there are even those who liken the spectral wayfarers with hermetic teachings, the Greek god Hermes, and the Egyptian divinities Harpocrates and Thoth (Hermes Trismegistus). For example, Thoth and Hermes are the messengers of the gods and Harpocrates is the god of secret knowledge and silence, and the Cucibocca embodies these characteristics. They portend the future and command silence, especially from children.
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| Arpocrate (Harpocrates) fresco inside the Biblioteca dell'Abbazia Benedettina di San Michele Arcangelo di Montescaglioso by Franco Caputo, Wikipedia |
Taciturnity appears to be as important to the rite as the victual oblations. After all, silence makes us more receptive to the Holy Spirit and is essential for contemplative prayer, meditation and interior transformation.
Unsurprisingly, each attribute has its own function and meaning. For example, in addition to being an instrument to sew people’s mouths shut, the shoemaker’s needle (awl) has been described as a diminutive sword or dagger, which would be used to “settle accounts” with cruel and unjust masters or set to rights a point of honor in a duel.
Reminiscent of hermits, monks and philosophers, the grey hair and long beards represent wisdom and a person deserving of respect and reverence. Worn in a way that only their eyes are showing helps convey the idea that they are ever watchful but are keenly silent. Acting as their guides, the owl is, among other things, a symbol of wisdom and foresight.
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| Hermes depicted with pétasos and staff, Attic red-figure vase, ca. 480 BC-470 BC, Musée du Louvre, Paris |
Standing out against an otherwise dark and dreary character, the large orange peel eyes sends mixed signals. While keeping with the seeing and not speaking motif, the citrus spectacles suggests gift-giving. A seasonal fruit, the orange and its candied variations are traditional presents this time of year in Southern Italy. They represent the Star of Bethlehem, which guided the Three Magi during their caravan's pilgrimage from the east.
The pilgrims’ wooden staff, commonly referred to as a third leg, is more than a tool to help cross rough terrain or protect oneself from wolves and bandits, it also symbolizes the Holy Trinity and is carried to ward off demons and evil spirits. Again, looking to the future, these walking sticks are sometimes crowned with effigies of Quaremme,[2] the mourning wife of Carnevale personifying abstinence during the penitential season of Lent.
Another symbol of the itinerant wayfarer, lanterns not only serve as a guiding light in the dark for guests and the souls of the dead, they also signify spiritual illumination and the light of the Holy Spirit.
Forewarning their arrival, the rattling chains dragging on the pavement symbolize their temporary reprieve from Purgatory or, in the case of the talking animals, freedom from their masters.
A tool of the courier and messenger, their baskets are simply used to carry off the food and wine they procured from the living.
The “nine bites,” customarily consisting of leftovers from the holidays, are offered to the restless penitents as a sign of compassion and an act of purification. Often ascribed to numerology, it is generally eccepted that the number is in remembrance of Christ’s loving sacrifice for our salvation. Christ was crucified at the third hour (nine in the morning), darkness fell over all the land at the sixth hour (noon), and Our Lord expired at the ninth hour (at three).
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| The Hermit from the Universal Waite tarot deck |
Finally, the name Cucibocca itself is derived from the macabre threat inveighed against any young children who are found awake: “Tè còs' la vòcch’!” (I’ll sew your mouth).[3] It is meant to admonish the children to be silent and go to bed early so the gifts of the Epiphany can arrive in the night. In recent years, this aspect has been conflated with the legend of the Befana, a benevolent witch in search of the Christ Child who leaves presents in the socks of good little boys and girls on the Epiphany.
Today, tourist from far and wide visit Montescaglioso to experience the magical night. Gathering in the town square they wait in quiet anticipation for the Cucibocca’s arrival. Enjoying the modest Vigil fare and winter evening, the ghastly figures appear accompanied by pifferari and zampognari (fifers and pipers), musical shepherds who, according to legend, visited the Holy Family in Bethlehem and played their songs for the Baby Jesus. After spooking the little ones, the visitants eventually wander through the dark alleys, moving door to door in search of alms.
Much more than a scary story to frighten the children to bed, the skulking Cucibocca strangely symbolizes hope and renewal through fasting and silence, sacrifice and prayer. Special attention is paid to the children because they are the future. Harkening back to an ancient way of life unimaginable to many of us in the modern West, these deeply rooted agro-pastoral traditions imbued with elements of the sacred and the profane are a precious vestige of our traditional culture, a connection to our revered ancestors, and a profound celebration of our Faith. Buona Epifania!
~ By Giovanni di Napoli, January 4th, Feast of St. Theoctistus the Righteous of Sicily, founder and first abbot of the Monastery of Cucumo, Sicily
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| This year we will attempt the nove bocconi at our modest vigil dinner. We'll let you know if our ancestors' spirits appear |
[1] “May silence be dear to you so that living be not bitter” Inscription on the Harpocrates mural inside the Abbazia Benedettina di San Michele Arcangelo di Montescaglioso.
[2] Quaremme is Lucanian for Quaresima, "Lent"; cf Neapolitan Quarajesema, Calabrese Corajisima and French Carême.
[3] Pronounced “Cosevocch” in Lucanian, Cucibocca is the standardized Italian translation cuci + bocca.
The following sources proved invaluable to this post:
• II Cucibocca di Montescaglioso (Matera): eremiti e pellegrini nel folclore della Lucania centro-orientale. Applicazione dell'Archeologia moderna e contemporanea per lo studio della cultura materiale di Vincenzo Stasolla
• Le tradizioni legate all’Epifania nella collina di Montescaglioso di Michela Appio
