Authors

Paolino’s funeral is a ceremony held during the Greek Carnival in Martignano (Apulia region).This is an example of a restored tradition of the ethnolinguistic minorities of Southern Italy, but with the rather archaic and specific features of traditional culture being taken into account. On the one hand, the rite goes back to the tradition of burning or tearing of a Shrovetide effigy, typical of European city carnivals and symbolizing the passing period. On the other hand, depending on new conditions and political nomenclature, the tradition is supplemented with new meanings and newly invented elements. This study attempts to identify the degree of presence of Greek elements in the rite “La Morte te lu Paolinu”, describe the mechanisms that organizers use in the process of reconstructing an older rite, and determine the main functions of this reconstruction.