Besides "Bella ciao", similar songs by the mondina women included " Sciur padrun da li beli braghi bianchi " and " Se otto ore vi sembran poche ". The struggles against the supervising padroni was even harder, with plenty of clandestine workers ready to compromise even further the already low wages just to get work. The atrocious working conditions, long hours and very low pay led to constant dissatisfaction and, at times, to rebellious movements and riots in the early years of the 20th century. They would spend their workdays with their bare feet in water up to their knees, and their back bent for many hours. Monda was an extremely tiring task, carried out mostly by women known as mondinas, from the poorest social classes. It consisted of two phases: transplanting the plants and pruning the weeds. It took place during the flooding of the fields, from the end of April to the beginning of June every year, during which the delicate shoots needed to be protected, during the first stages of their development, from temperature differences between the day and the night. They worked at monda ( weeding) the rice fields in northern Italy, to help the healthy growth of young rice plants. "Bella Ciao" was originally sung as " Alla mattina appena alzata" by seasonal workers of paddy fields of rice, especially in Italy's Po Valley from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century with different lyrics.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |