Buon Anno! It's Bufu Time!

Buon Anno a Tutti! Happy New Year! We’re off to Casacalenda to participate in the festivities and listen to some Bufú bands.

In Casacalenda, there are musical folk bands called Bufú that begin entertaining on the evening of December 31st and goes on up until the afternoon of January 1st. The groups go around the whole village armed with their instruments interpreting the journey that the three kings made to the cave of Bethlehem. At least that’s how it all started back in the day. A variety of instruments sound in the Bufú band from the more traditional washboards, bufús, accordions, reed-pipes, triangles and tambourines to maracas, bells, drums, guitars, cymbals and a variety of homemade instruments. Really anything that makes noise, makes it into the Bufú nowadays.

The name, Bufú, possesses a dual significance: it stands for both the wooden tub, or drum, operated by means of friction induced on goatskin by an external reed, and for the musical group that operates it. 'Fare il bufú' , to make Bufú, means to organize a Bufú 'team'. Today the skin has been replaced by 'tela penna,' the ticking cloth used to make inner covers for pillows. The cloth vibrates through the reed as it is rubbed by wet hands. The Bufú-player keeps his hands close together, striking the thumb of the lower hand in the upper one; since the hands have to be wet often, each player will have a bucketful of water hanging from his own instrument.

During our last visit to Casacalenda, we spent some time in the Museo del Bufú. It was really interesting but the best part was looking at all of the old photos of the Bufú bands and seeing my uncle Tony in one of the pictures! What a riot! Of course, there I went again taking pictures of pictures. Funny story, my Uncle Tony and Auntie Lori were in Casacalenda in August and went to this museum too not knowing about his picture being in the museum and found it. It would have been something to be looking in a museum and seeing your picture on the wall. (Uncle Tony you must have felt old hey? Just kidding!) He’s just as handsome now as he was then. :)

Anyways, it was quite the experience watching these groups come together. The other day we even got to see one of the younger groups practicing (15-20ish) in a cellar with whole prosciutto hanging from the ceiling. It was really something. There were some more modern groups with girls now in the bands that even sang but I preferred the groups of men that were in their 30s. They had their own flavor and really knew how to entertain the crowd. Some people were even dancing in the streets, I wish Dan wasn’t so shy in public, I totally was ready to break out in dance. I had to settle with a nodding my head a rocking back and forth with the odd foot tape here and there. Pathetic I know but I was having a great time! Maria, Daniele and Gianvincenzo joined us too. We rand into some other cousins that I have never met too as well as Angela and both Antonella's. Gianvincenzo broke out a few moves but preferred being on Dan shoulders so he didn’t miss a thing. It is so hard to explain the energy and what it is like so I’ll just post a video or two. Again, you just really need to be there. I’ve told Dan that I’m going to make a Bufú for our kids and keep the tradition alive in Canada. He thinks I’m nuts but I knew there was some musical talent in my blood somewhere…too bad it stopped a generation too soon.

When we went back to for our New Years Feast, Gianvincenzo wanted to make our own Bufu band so here we are making some noise. Enjoy!