On 22 September the celebrations for the patron saint with an eye to the milestone of 100 years since its foundation
The center of Aosta will be “invaded” by the Alpini next 22 September on the occasion of San Maurizio, patron saint of the “Black pens”. All 71 Valle d’Aosta groups will be present in Piazza Chanoux to remember those who are no longer there.
The Ceremony will begin at 6.30 pm with the Salute to the Flag and the Fanfare that will play the Italian anthem. Then the honors will be given to the fallen and, after three trumpet blasts, the Fanfare will play the Canzone del Piave during which a bouquet of flowers will be placed at the foot of the Monument. Finally, the Silence will be sounded and the names of all the Alpini who have “gone ahead” in the last year will be read: more than 100. At the end of the reading, the cry “Present!”.
The second part of the ceremony is dedicated to the Godmothers, recognized a few months ago as “Friends of the Alpini”. In the presence of the Godmother of the Ana Valdostana Section, Laura Quaizier widow Todeschi, each Godmother will be called to the stage and will receive the hat and the tricolor cockade. Those of the last century were «the Godmothers of War, young girls, mothers, brides who had the task of keeping the morale of the troops high – recalls Ana Valle d’Aosta -. They were exercises of patriotic duty that many times became a bond of serious friendship, leading to marriage. The godmothers of today are young girls, mothers, brides who have breathed in the family the mountaineering of fathers, husbands, brothers and who dedicate part of their time to coordinate the activity of the group they belong to, participating in every activity ». The delivery of the Norwegian Hat and the qualification of Amica degli Alpini “makes them a dutiful and deserved moral and associative recognition”.
This year’s patron saint ceremony will be organized according to current Covid-19 security provisions and with a look to the near future. The Valdostana Section of the Alpini will reach the hundredth anniversary of its foundation in two years and that of 2023 could be a very special celebration. “We asked to host the Intersectional Gathering of the Group in 2023 which includes Piedmont, Liguria and the French of Savoy,” says the president of the Aosta Valley Alpini, Carlo Bionaz. «It would be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Section».
Elena Giovinazzo
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