The Tonca is an annual event that takes place in Trento, Italy on June 19th, and it involves a ceremony in which a local politician is chosen by a ceremonial jury to be punished for committing the year’s worst blunder. The punishment for the chosen politician is to be locked in a cage and dunked in the river Adige, which flows through the city of Trento.
The process of selecting the politician to be punished is carried out by the ceremonial jury, which is made up of local citizens. They review the blunders committed by the local politicians over the past year and select the politician who has committed the worst one. The blunder can be related to anything, from a political mistake to a personal scandal.
Once the politician is selected, they are paraded through the city in a cage to the river Adige. There, they are dunked into the water several times before being released. This process is done in a playful and satirical manner, with the aim of publicly shaming the politician for their mistake.
It’s worth noting that the Tonca is a traditional event that has been held for over 400 years in Trento, and it is considered an important part of the city’s cultural heritage. Despite the playful nature of the event, it has been criticized by some as being potentially humiliating for the selected politician, and there have been calls to end the practice in recent years. However, many locals and visitors continue to enjoy and celebrate the Tonca each year as a unique and beloved tradition.
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