Zalana

Zalana is a municipality with 153 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011 ) in the Haute- Corse on the French island of Corsica. It belongs to Canton Moïta Verde.

Geography

Zalana situated at an altitude of 591 meters above sea level in the Castagniccia, 49 kilometers southwest of Bastia, the seat of the prefecture of the department, and 3 kilometers south of the Regional Natural Park of Corsica, and about 15 kilometers west of the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The municipality has an area of 13.2 square kilometers and is crossed in the north of the Bravona. The hamlet Aghjale, Vignale, Pianellu, Costarella and Belfasca belong to the community.

Demography

Culture and sights

In Zalana are two churches, the parish church of the Annunciation ( Annunciation ') and the Chapel of Santa Maria. The parish church is a painting from the 17th century depicting Salome Carrying the Head of John the Baptist on a platter. The painting has been classified as a Monument historique in 2005 ( historic monument '). The inhabitants of Zalana financed with donations, the restoration of their parish church itself. For this, the community received the second prize of the Fondation du Patrimoine (, Heritage Foundation ') in 2010.

About the Bravona performs a Genueserbrücke, which dates from the reign of the Republic of Genoa, Corsica ( 1447-1768 ).

On August 15, the Feast of the Assumption into heaven, the inhabitants of Zalana organize a procession with a statue of Mary from the church to the marketplace. Then there can be multiple items with eatables and games on the marketplace. In this event, visitors come from the surrounding villages.

On the evening of December 31 the children of Zalana parade through the village and go to every home. Ask for food and singing traditional songs of praise or ridicule, depending on whether they have received small donations in the form of meat and sausages, candy or drinks or not. After the move, gather the children and organize a feast. This custom is called La Birba.