User:Nebbya/Old man's bonfire

"The bonfire of the old man" is an ancient and well-established tradition in the city of Bologna and the surrounding municipalities, as well as in some areas of the Modena region. It involves the burning of a large effigy resembling an old man (the "vecchione") and takes place at midnight on December 31st to celebrate New Year's Eve. In leap years, it is customary to burn an effigy with a female appearance (the "vecchia").

The tradition likely has common roots with New Year's bonfires typical of the northeastern part of Italy.

The "vecchione" represents the old year, which is symbolically burned to rid oneself of its ugliness and in the hope that the following year will be better.

In Bologna, the "vecchione" bonfire takes place in Piazza Maggiore, where the community gathers to be together and watch musical and pyrotechnic performances.

In recent years, many artists have been involved in designing the "vecchione," including:


 * Gabriele Lamberti (1993-1994)
 * Pirro Cuniberti (1994-1995)
 * Emilio Tadini (1995-1996)
 * Jean Michel Folon (1996-1997)
 * Tullio Pericoli (1997-1998)
 * The Cuoghi&Corsello duo (2005-2006)
 * Francesca Ghermandi (2007-2008)
 * Ericailcane (2008-2009)
 * Marco Dugo (2010-2011)
 * Paper Resistance (2011-2012)
 * PetriPaselli (2012-2013)
 * To/Let (2013-2014)
 * Andreco (2014-2015)
 * Cristian Chironi (2015-2016)
 * Andrea Bruno (2016-2017)
 * the "Impresari" collective (2017-2018)
 * the "Cantieri Meticci" collective (2019-2020)
 * and RAP (Chiara Rapaccini) (2020-2021).

For the first time in nearly a century, the bonfire did not take place on December 31, 2020, due to restrictive measures related to the coronavirus emergency, and a similar circumstance repeated on December 31, 2021..