For many years now, every edition of the Biella Carnival has ended with the trial of the Babi, a treacherous toad native to the marshy areas of the Vercelli lowlands, and the consequent and foregone condemnation to the stake: but what is Babi's guilt?
Legend has it that Babi, intoxicated by the climate and the view of the landscape, arrived in the Biella mountains one day.
Here he met a man, Gipin, and his consort, Catlin-a.
The woman, attracted by the sounds emitted by Babi, exclaimed, "What a beautiful bird, and how original!".
A cry that aroused a surge of pride in the toad.
Gipin, on the other hand, not at all impressed, turned to his wife and told her that this was not a bird but a toad: this reminder of reality provoked the animal's irritated reaction and gave rise to enmity between him and Gipin.
Since then, the Babi, accused of passing himself off as the most beautiful bird in Biella, is taken to court by Gipin and invariably sentenced.
