The explosion of the wagon, an ancient tradition typical of Florentine Easter. It is an event that dates back to about nine centuries, a much loved popular custom that recalls the deeds of the Florentines at the Crusades and their return to the city.
The explosion of the wagon
According to historical sources, the custom of the explosion of the cart was born with Pazzino de' Pazzi, on his return from a crusade in 1099. From the Holy Land, he brought back to Florence some flints of the sepulcher of Christ; stones with which the celebrations of the Holy Saturday. Subsequently the ceremony will be moved to Easter Sunday. So the Florentines decide to build a triumphal chariot escorted by a historical procession which from via Il Prato, where it is kept throughout the year, arrives as far as piazza Duomo. The current form of the Brindellone, as the cart is called, dates back to the 600s. The Brindellone has a pyrotechnic tower carefully positioned in the upper part; it is generally pulled by two pairs of oxen and is accompanied by the historical procession of the Florentine Republic and the Calcio Storico Fiorentino.
At the end of the path, it is positioned between the Baptistery of San Giovanni and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. One of the crucial moments of the explosion of the cart is the flight of the dove: if it is perfect it is a sign of good luck, otherwise it is a fatal expression of bad luck. The rocket, which has the shape of a dove and which carries a blessed olive branch, takes off from the cathedral's altar when the Gloria is intoned and reaches the Brindellone which thus catches fire. The chariot is located between the Cathedral and the Baptistery: if the dove manages to return to the cathedral during its flight, it means that the fields they will be fertile and will give bountiful harvests.
