WTI Magazine #72    2015 November 13
Author : folclore.it      Translation by:

In the year of the Expo 2015, in the Venetian province there's a city that showcases the goose, through an exhibition with tens of thousands of visitors, sold out hotels and restaurants, opportunities for recreation and for the rediscovery of ancient traditions, including those related to good food, the main theme of the world expo. Goose to watch, goose to eat, goose to entertain: Mirano, 27,000 inhabitants in the province of Venice, changes its face for two days and its center becomes a village from the early twentieth century.

The main protagonist are the banners with the royal coat of arms, the wooden pews of the market, the municipal bulletin boards with notices and posters. Even the modern road signs are covered with a reproduction of the vintage insignia.

This year, the appointment with the jump back in time is on 14 and 15 November (the Saint Martin weekend), during which nothing is left to chance. There will be the newsboy with his newspaper; the barker with his concoctions; the maids on their day off; the craftsman who stuffs chairs; booths with elastic rifle; the jars to be shut down by throwing balls and other ancient games. Starring the most famous bird in these areas, in line with the popular "Chi no magna l'oca a San Martin no fa el beco de un quatrin", ie those who do not eat the goose at Saint Martin make no money.

It has always been customary, around Mirano, to celebrate the closing of the agricultural year, on November 11, eating the goose. This is because in this part of the year the meat of the bird is so fat and tender that it melts in your mouth, but especially because Mirano landowners were largely Jews, and could not eat pork.

Roberto Gallorini and Sandro Zara decided to restore and formalize these ancient customs: a way to remember the people from Mirano of their roots. Another great insight was to ask the painter Carlo Preti to design and create "El Zogo de l'oca de Miran" (The Game of the Goose in Mirano), revised edition of the famous board game. Preti redesigned the spiral path of the game, explaining the 63 boxes with anecdotes, proverbs, places and events in the history of the city. For the organizers of the Game of the Goose this was a formidable inspiration. In 1998, Gallorini decided to create what is now the most-watched event in the province, which attracts visitors from all over Italy and abroad. He took the drawing of Preti and he superimposed it over the main square in Mirano, which just happens to have an oval shape, too. It fit like a glove. The village square thus became a giant board game.