Corsica Local Customs

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The tradition of the Mazzeri - Soul night hunters

by intl_dan

Corsica has been a slow converter into Christianity, and many Corsicans still believe that a host of immaterial beings surround them, ghosts, spirits, often seen as the harbingers of death. Underlying these ancient beliefs is the concept of a dual universe - physical and spirit realm. Unlike Christianity, many Corsicans believe that the spirit is taken up to a year before death occurs.One of the agents of death are believed to be the mazzeri, derived from ammazza, to kill. They are said to become so if they were not baptised or christened improperly. At night they dream they go into the maquis, and then their spirt is said to depart from the body, and kills the first animal it sees, a wild boar, goat, sheep, dogs, etc... Then they roll the animal on its back and recognise in it the face of someone in their village, who is set to die within a year. A mazzere is said to be unable to choose...

FLNC

by kokoryko

Writing a few lines about the Front National de Libération de la Corse cannot be avoided when writing about Corsica, but nothing really political here, except that people who try to keep free have my respect, even I do not share their views on the way they do it most times. . . . I wrote here about resistance in the Niolu tips, and here is a bit more; Corsica, before being part of France, “belonged” to Pisa, Aragon or Genoa for several centuries, with short periods of independence. In 1730, Corsica declared its independence from Genoa, and was soon occupied by imperial troops, at the request of Genoa; Corsica made an attempt of independence again in 1735 with establishing a constitution, but soon, Genoa asked France to intervene and the French troops routed the Corsican, led by Nationalist Pasquale de Paoli, at the Ponte Novo battle in 1765; Genoa asked then France to administrate...

Tip Photo
People of Niolu

by kokoryko

Not far from the entrance of the Santus Franciscus Niolensis monastery, is a small monument with a plaque reminding resistance days of the Niolu region (picture 2); here it says:” Corsican, don’t forget”, and it tells about patriots who have been hanged (it was before the invention of the Guillotine) by the occupation forces on June 23rd, 1774. . . they resisted to the French oppressor. . . . This was two and a half centuries ago, but, resistance is still a way of life in many parts of Corsica. . . . more here about that historical fact:http://www.unita-naziunale.org/portail/U%2023%20DI%20GHJUGNU%201774.htm Today, there are still Nationalists in Corsica, and many of them have their origins in Niolu; the ladies on the first picture, who kindly accepted I photograph them, have certainly a nephew, son, brother, cousin engaged in more or less violent resistance. . . . I do not agree with the...

Tip Photo
Beeeee...

by satara

I was so excited that we met THEM, my SISTERS!!! beeehh... I'm born in the year of Goat, so every time I see some goats or sheeps on the road (like in Greece and obviously in Corsica), I know that my trip fellow will shout "look, your sisters!"... And it's always nice to meet someone from your family, no?:)

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LOCAL LANGUAGE

by sdoca

5 DAYS IN CORSICA Need to find a hotel in Bastia for the night of 29 and 30 Jun: EASY I SUGGEST THIS HOTEL ALSO I HAVE NEVER BEEN AND I HAVE NO "SHARES" IN IT SO IT IS JUST A SELECTION AMONG ALL THE MANY HHOTELS THEREhttp://www.bestwestern-corsica-hotels.com30 Jun - Bastia. I want to learn the dialect an American tourist can use anywhere on the island to say simple things like: thank you, Please, hello, how are you, good morning+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE VOCABULARY YOU REQUIRE CANNOT BE TRANSLATED 100% LITERALLY AS YOU SAY EACH AREA OF THE ISLAND HAVE THEIR OWN SAY. MAYBE YOU COULD INTERVIEW AND WORK WITH A TEACHER THAT TEACHES CORSICAN .1 Jul - Take the train from Bastia to Ajaccio. How long does it take to reach Ajaccio and can you tell me what are the departure and arrival times? museum in the afternoon. THE TRIP FROM BASTIA TO AJACCIO IS 4H00 AND IT IS...

Tip Photo
Old Houses

by kyrzar

In Corsica, it seems that old houses don't die. They just linger. One of my first views of Corsica was an old half-ruined house beside the airport. I kind of liked this aspect of Corsica. The old houses give Corsica a certain character.

Tip Photo
Corsican Identity

by kyrzar

Corsican's are really proud of their identity and their island. Corsican culture is its own animal, and the language is a lot closer to Italian than French.The place in the picture is Ponte Novu where the French defeated the Corsicans and gained control of the island. The white flag in the picture has the severed head of an Arab chief on it. This is the symbol of Corsica, and you'll see it a lot. Maybe it's no wonder you'll see "Arabi Fora" (Arabs Out) graffitied everywhere.

Tip Photo
The Corsican Lanugage

by intl_dan

Before the Romans came along, according to archeologists, Corsican was a non-indo-European language that resembled Basque. Over the generations Latin evolved into a langauge close to medieval Tuscan Piestoain - Corsu. It was mostly conserved in oral traditions and had very little written tradition The north and south now differ in their dialects. It has nothing to do with French, and has some similarity to Italian ( beware! it is not Italian and Corsicans are sensitive to such comments). The French have been doing their best to destroy this language, it was forbidden until 1974 to... spit and speak Corsican by law! Now they have loosened up a bit, but still restrict the language from obtaining a more institutional position. 70 percent of the Island speak it fluently, mostly between themselves. Dont try speak a few words you read in your travel guide to Corsicans, they dont like...

Tip Photo
Pascal Paoli and the Corsican Nation

by intl_dan

Pascal who? The French destroyed the 1st secular republic, & tried to erase traces of it & its founder. As J.J.Rousseau said: I have a certain presentiment that one day this little island will astonish Europe (1769 The Social Contract)! All this due to Pascal Paoli, in Corsican, Pasquale; the younger (of 4) born in humble Morosaglia (see section) 1725. His childhood dominated by the war of independence, the bourgeois landowners, like father, Dr. Giacinto Paoli, had enough of the greedy Genoese oppressing and exploiting Corsica. In Boziu villages chased the Genoese tax men away, & Corsica waged the first anti-colonial struggle. When Pasquale was 6, his father was elected to the triumvirate of primates, to head Corsica. In 1735 Corsica declared its independence & the beautiful Dio Vi Salvi Regina, a hymn for the Virgin, its national anthem. Genoa tried to starve the population, and in...

Tip Photo
The official language is french

by rachel_sun

The official language is French.Only women are regular church goers and men only enter the church during festivals.It is customrary to give a tip of about 10% to waiters and taxi drivers.Here is Vieux Port.

Tip Photo
Local traditions and culture in Corsica

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Local Customs: Cities in Corsica
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Q:  Hi everyone, My wife and I will be in Calvi Corsica this May, but we only have one day (walking) to see the sights. What are... 

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A: Calvi is a wonderful little town, you'll manage to see it entirely in one day. Of course you walk up to the hill in the middle of the town where there is a church, but... 

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