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Abruzzo Festivals
This is a partial list of local festivals, fairs
and costumed events. To verify the exact dates, please contact the local
tourist board.
- Chieti: The town of Chieti has the oldest procession in the
entire country. It takes place on Good Friday evening by the flickering light of
torches and has all the mystery of a medieval funeral. The statues of Christ and
the Madonna are originals from the mid-16th century and since it was begun, the
parade has always been the same. The elite members of the organizing group (the
Arciconfraternita del Monte dei Morti) walk the symbolic Via Crucis with white hoods
that cover their faces. (Good Friday).
- Cocullo: Snake Handlers' Procession: a statue of
the town's patron, St. Dominic, is carried through the town covered with
live serpents (first Thursday in May).
- Francavilla a Mare:Carnival Festivities (February).
- Cittą Sant'Angelo: Carnival Parade of Floats
(February).
- San Valentino: Frittata Festival (Good Friday).
- Picciano: Traditional Befana Festival (January).
- Lanciano: Medieval Pageant and Horse Race
(September).
- Cappelli Sul Tavo: Palio del Pupo Costumed Races
(August).
- Villamagna: The Turks and St. Margerite Historical
Re-enactment (July).
- Cepagatti: Historical Parade with Floats, Fireworks
and Celebrations (August).
- Rivisondoli: Living Nativity Scene: hundreds of
costumed figures re-enact the arrival of the Three Kings at the manger
(January).
- Loreto Aprutino: Procession of the Ox: this
beautifully costumed procession culminates when a sumptuously outfitted
ox kneels before the statue of St. Zopito (Monday after Pentecost).
- Scanno: Bonfire Festival: enormous bonfires are lit
on the surrounding hillsides to commemorate St. Martin (November).
Traditional Wedding Ceremony: re-enactment of the unique local wedding
customs (August).
- Popoli: Trout and Shrimp Festival (August).
- L'Aquila: Pope Celestino's Pardon Ceremonies
(August).
Good Friday Procession (sunset, Good Friday).
Festival of popular art and folklore of the Italian regions (Usually first week in July).
- Sulmona: La Madonna in Piazza: medieval folklore
event culminating in a staged pageant (Easter Sunday).
- Fara Filiorum Petri: Farchie Festival: giant
torches illuminate this festival for St. Anthony (January) (right).
- Celano: Costumed Procession and Fireworks (late
August).
- Cappelle Sultano: Palio of the Puppets: giant
puppets form a procession through the town, then explode in a shower of
fireworks (August).
- Pescara: International Jazz Festival. Plays at Teatro
Dannunziale July through August.
- Rocca di Mezzo: Daffodil Festival: folklore dances,
presentations and a parade of flowery floats to celebrate the arrival of
spring (last Sunday in May).
Plowing Festival: re-enactment of a 17th-century custom, culminating
with a race to plow the most perfect furrow (last Saturday in August).
- Pacentro: Festival of the Madonna of Loreto, with a
traditional bare-foot "gypsy race" (first Sunday of September).
- Bucchianico: Flower Festival: re-enactment of a
13th-century military stratagem that saved the town from destruction,
with costumed parades, flower-bedecked carts and exquisite miniature
flower floats worn on the local ladies' heads (third Sunday of May).
- Villa Santa Maria: Culinary Festival: world-famous
chefs who hail from the region gather for a three-day demonstration of
their skills, based on techniques and recipes that date back over
centuries (October).
List of festivals in part courtesy of
www.hostetler.net
(c) 1997-2008 E. Massetti
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