I mafiusi di la Vicaria

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I mafiusi di la Vicaria (also I mafiusi de la Vicaria (di Palermo) ; German  The mafiosi of the prison of Vicaria ) is a - in the pouring 19th century - highly successful, in Sicilian dialect authored, in 1864, first performed comedy . All that is known about the two authors is that they belonged to a group of traveling actors. I mafiusi di la Vicaria is fundamental to the etymology of some Sicilian words, especially the word mafia .

content

The comedy is about a group of inmates who are incarcerated together in a prison in Palermo . Their organization resembles that of the actual mafia, so not only can a clear hierarchy be recognized in the group, but the so-called initiation ritual also plays a role.

It seems interesting that I mafiusi di la Vicaria is the first representation of an honorable and good mafia, so the capo of the prisoners not only prevents his followers from robbing weaker people, but also kneels down to ask for forgiveness, as a witness to the police has testified, apparently dies by accident. At the end of the piece, the capo leaves his group and joins a workers' organization.

Etymological content

The comedy has fundamentally shaped the meaning of the word mafia : With the emergence of the play, more and more Sicilian citizens named the criminal organization (s) mafia and analogous criminals (who acted similarly to those in the play) mafiosi . The claim, however, that I mafiusi di la Vicaria alone spread the word mafia nationwide is not true. This only happened through a discussion initiated by the government.

As a result of the comedy, the word pizzu also acquired another meaning besides its actual meaning beak : the phrase “being able to wet your beak ” soon became synonymous with protection money .

literature

  • John Dickie : Cosa Nostra. A history of the Sicilian mafia . Hodder, London 2007, ISBN 978-0-340-93526-2 (EA London 2004)
    • German: Cosa Nostra. The history of the mafia . Fischer Taschenbuchverlag, Frankfurt / .M. 2007, ISBN 978-3-596-17106-4 .
  • Saverio Di Bella: Risorgimento e mafia in Sicilia. I mafiusi della Vicaria di Palermo . Pellegrini, Cosenza 1991.