Carnival traditions of the Aosta valley

The article is devoted to the analysis of extant folk festive traditions to meet the spring in the region of Aosta Valley (Italy). Since its first mention in written sources of the XV century to the present time the Valdostan carnival has evolved gradually losing the archaic ritual function and acquiring new legends associated with the history of the region. So, a big impact on the festival had the invasion of Napoleon's army in 1800. This event is reflected in carnival masks, which, however, reveal features of the ancient worship of totem animals (bear, bull). In the context of multilingualism historically established in the region, special attention paid to the role of Franco-Provençal patois that do not have official status, however, which is the main language of informal communication of the Valdostan population and the language of the carnival.