31 Day Challenge 2014 #29 Introducing Mazzamurelli

Hi, gals!
Halloween is coming and today the theme of my nail art is related to Supernatural. Because I'm an huge lover of european folklore, I have thought it was a chance to introduce to you something very particular and almost unheard-of: the Mazzamurello.

Nail Polishes I used:
China Glaze Phat Santa
Sensinity 02 Lirio
NYC Nail Art Creation 001 Black Ink
Tiger Foil set

I painted my nails with China Glaze Phat Santa, a glorious red jelly from a 2009 Christmas set, and only my ring finger with Sensinity #02 Lirio. I drew a cap with my black striper, and I added foils to give my nails a supernatural look.
This is my first attempt with the foils. I followed the instruction on the back of Tiger's set (Tiger is a Danish store chain), and it worked!

A Mazzamurello is a spirit that haunts houses, stables, cowsheds, pigpens and even families. Is a domestic creature that lives by night and it's very very noisy and he likes bring mess around.
His name is formed by two words: mazza (bat) and murello (from mura, walls), because the most loved activity of this little creature is make noise like a bat over walls. Day or night is the same, for the Mazzamurello. If you hear strange rumors during day (and during the night) it's probably there's a Mazzamurello inside your home.

There's not many description about Mazzamurelli, because the globalization. Now we believe the elves are only Santa Claus's helpers, but before Coca Cola's Santa Claus, old people remebered stories about elves, spirits, pixies, goblins etc. Spirits like Mazzamurello originates from Lares and Penates spirits of ancient Rome religion. Lares was domestic spirit that preserved home and family. Like Mazzamurello. This character is in common through differen regions of Italy, under different names and with different skills (in Neaples region they say that a Mazzamurello in our home means there's a treasure over the floor or that he carries out a message from a familiar passed away, Generally it's about numers to play in Lotto game. Because in Neaples area people are obsessed by Lotto and this silly stuff...), but this kind of creature comes from Sibillini Mountains area (between eastern Umbria and Marche) and it has left his track here in Rome (because when someone moves from his homeland, he carried out even his lore, according to Neil Gaiman's American Gods).

A Mazzamurello is 150 centimeters tall and wears a red cap (like Peyo's Papa Smurfs) over a head of messy black hair. Here in Rome is popular (sadly only amongst old people) for make noise and haunt families, but in other regions he (or even she) loves joke around you. She conceals things, knots manes, stretchs cat's tails and so on.
According to roman tradition, it's quite impossible release yourself from a Mazzamurello (in others regions there is a trick, but I cannot talk about this here because it's a gross method!). You have two choices: give what Mazzamurello wants (but he/she could say "I wanna stay with YOU!") or move away. But it doesn't work every time. There's a story about: there was an house haunted by a mazzamurello in Rome (I don't remember if it was in Trastevere or Borgo, but because in Trastevere there's Mazzamurelli alley, I think the scenario was on the other side of Tiber) and not even blessed water could fight off this noisy creature. So the priest suggested to the family to move away in secret from that house. But in the moving day a curious woman asked to the family if they were moving away. And the Mazzamurello stood out from a chest of clothes screaming "Oh, yes! WE are moving!".

I like this kind of stories, because folklore is the roots of your own past. They may change, through years, commistion with other populations and other lores (like Halloween. Do you know that the masquerade tradition starts from a celtic legend around swan princess?), but they are still there. And this gives me a warm feeling.
I hope my post did'n bored you!
Thanks for stopping by and have a nice day!


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