• Art & Culture
    • Lifestyle

The Legend of the Giubiana

The Giubiana festival is a very popular tradition in Lombardy

By the end of january, several localities in the province of Como fire up large bonfires that are used to burn dummies made out of straw and rags: the Giubiana Dummies.

There are various dummy shapes and multiple ways in which they are burned, yet this practice's origins hail from ancient rituals reenacting a judicial process and an execution with purifying fire. The previous year is symbolically executed for its load of negative events. With its demise, good wishes for the future are propitiated with a new rebirth.

Every comunity has followed its own version of this ritual alongside various tales and traditions. In numerous towns, the Giubiana is pictured as an old, vile witch. This character is linked to the tradition of the risotto with luganega sausage. Legend says that the hungry witch chased children in order to eat them. A mother had an idea in order to save her own son by preparing a large pot of yellow risotto with sausage, hoping that the hag would rather taste a piglet's tender flesh an spare her child's life. She put the pot near the window. Its inviting scent draw the Giubiana's attention, who rushed in to eat it the risotto. She kept eating for the whole evening without realizing that the sunrise was drawing near. Since witches cannot survive sunlight, she bursted in flames as soon as the first ray of light reached her.

The Giubiana in Cantù does not look like an old witch but a beautiful lass who betrayed the city centuries ago. During the decade-long war between Como and Milan (1118-1127), Cantù was allied with the Milanese capital, enduring Como's relentless siege. One evening, a young, heavenly-looking maiden knocked on the city gates seeking asylum. The gates were opened and she was welcomed in. Yet this young woman got hold of the city keys and delivered them to its enemies. Cantù fell to Como's might, but Milan won the war soon after, so locals enacted their vengeance by capturing the traitor and sentencing her to be burned to the stake. Every year, a dummy dressed in elegant garbs is exposed for public shaming and then paraded into Piazza Garibaldi, Cantù's main square. Once there, the sentence is read aloud in front of the crowd and the authorities, then thrown into the flames. If the dummy burns in its entirety, then it will be a good year.

Whether she is beautiful or ugly, the Giubiana has become an occasion to gather up, celebrate and taste some nice risotto, drink mulled wine or watching fireworks in good company. 

On the same topic

Lombardy in Paintings by Great Italian Artists

The paintings that most beautifully capture Lombardy's scenery, an immersion in the region's landscapes and cityscapes
  • Art & Culture
La Lombardia nei quadri dei grandi pittori italiani

Walking through time between Grosio and Grosotto

The most extensive historiated rock in Europe
  • Art & Culture
Walking through time between Grosio and Grosotto

Bergamo Città Bassa

Glimpses of ancient villages along the main communication routes between the upper city and the territory
  • Art & Culture
Bergamo Città Bassa (Lower City)

Amaryllis Fleming Cello

A new masterpiece at the Violin's Museum
  • Art & Culture
Amaryllis Fleming Cello

Museums Lodi

The museum reality of Lodi is heterogeneous. It preserves naturalistic and scientific collections, archaeological and art collections
  • Art & Culture
Museums Lodi, exploring Lombardy

Autumn Events 2025

  • Art & Culture
Autumn Events 2025

Museums Brescia

Brescia: the ideal destination for those who love art. Countless opportunities to visit exhibitions and to attend cultural events
  • Art & Culture
Museums Brescia, hints on visiting

Legend of the Seven Brothers

An evocative tale of eight brothers, linked to each other, who lived in the Lecco area
  • Art & Culture
Traditions of Lecco: Legend of the Seven Brothers

Castles and fortifications around Lake Como

Several testimonies of a past rich in history, all to discover
  • Art & Culture
@primalavaltellina.it

Monuments Como

Como, with noble palaces, elegant architecture and monuments, is an ideal destination for cultural tourism
  • Art & Culture
Monuments Como, ideas for visiting

Pezzotti from Valtellina

Perhaps the most famous artisan product from Valtellina, the “pezzotto” is a very resistant fabric made using scraps of fabric, hand-woven at the loom.
  • Art & Culture
Pezzotti from Valtellina

Castles Lodi

The history of a glorious past between the castles and fortresses of the Lodi area
  • Art & Culture
Castles Lodi, a guide to Lombardy

Lorenzo Lotto Itinerary

In Bergamo on the trail of Lorenzo Lotto, one of the leading exponents of the Italian Renaissance
  • Art & Culture
Lorenzo Lotto Itinerary, following his trails

Spring in Varese

Varese: walks, picnics, secret beaches. In the spring, spend a day outdoors in the land of the lakes.
  • Art & Culture
Plenty of culture and fresh air at the Villa Della Porta Bozzolo

Museums in Lombardy

Some suggestions on museums to visit in Milan and outside the Lombard capital
  • Art & Culture
Museums in Lombardy, suggestions on cultural tourism

Visiting the Castle in the night

  • Art & Culture
Visiting the Castle in the night

Literary suggestions in Lombardy

Wandering around the region, among places, cities and events that have inspired great authors
  • Art & Culture
Literary suggestions in Lombardy

Lombardy in 5 Castles

Impregnable fortresses, with enchanting lake views, legends of ghosts. Five castles in Lombardy to be visited
  • Art & Culture
Lombardy in 5 Castles

Bergamo Photo Gallery

An area to be discovered and visited
  • Art & Culture
Discovering Bergamo from A to Z

Monuments Monza

There are so many beauties to discover in the city that holds treasures not only in its Cathedral.
  • Art & Culture
Monuments in Monza, culture in Lombardy