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The villages and towns of the Gargano
celebrate numerous saints-day "feste" during the year and Vico is no exception. The first Festa of the
year is for San Valentino, not only the worldwide patron saint of Love but also
the patron saint of Vico del Gargano and the orange harvest. Next
comes Easter and the solemn processions on Good Friday and
Easter Monday. After that at least one festa is celebrated each
month until September.
For
each festival the churches are decorated in readiness to receive
visitors. There are 12 churches in Vico, some of which open just
twice a year; once on the feast day of the saints they host and the
second time at Christmas to display their Nativity Scene. Festival times
are always busy, especially as many of the migrant Vichesi return for
their favourite festivals.
The festivals are punctuated with thunderclap fireworks
that serve to announce the commencement of activities. To finance the
firework spectacles, members of the appropriate church set up a
collection table and receive donations. The scale of the spectacle
usually depends on their success!
The bigger festivals attract many
visitors and market
stalls spill out all over the streets which throng with festa-visitors. There are always visiting bands
who give concerts and escort the processions around the town.
On the penultimate evening the "batteria" is fired off (a
barrage of firecrackers and mortars), then on the last evening after the
main concert finishes there is the main firework spectacular.
It
is well worth trying to fit one of these festa's into your holiday, if
only for the ear-popping fireworks display with which each festa ends.
| Feb 14 |
San Valentino
(Patron Saint of
Vico, Oranges and Love)
The streets of Vico
are decorated with orange-laden bay tree branches for this 1-day
festival followed by a "batteria" at Fuori Porta (the entrance
to the old town near the castle).
From the Chiesa
Matrice.
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Easter
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Easter
Each
church holds solemn processions
on Good Friday and Easter Monday with their chanting brethren following
their church's statue of the Holy Mary dressed in Black.
Each
Madonna is carried to every church in town searching for the dead body
of her son Jesus Christ.
The
search culminates on Easter Monday at dusk at Vico's representation of
Calvary where Mary finds Jesus. All the church bretheren who have
taken part in this final procession join together in the final chanting
of "Viva La Croce". Very moving.
All
Vico churches.
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Apr 26
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Madonna del Buon Consiglio
(Madonna of Good
Advice).
From
the Chiesa Matrice.
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May 9
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Santa Maria Pura
(St Mary the Pure)
Held at the little church just outside Vico, by
the Fontana Vecchia where in the very old days water was fetched from
and the weekly washing done.
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May 22
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Santa Rita di Cascia
From the Chiesa di San
Giuseppe.
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Jun 26
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Madonna del Rifugio
(Madonna of the Refuge)
From
the Chiesa Matrice.
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Jul 17
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Madonna del Carmine
A 3-day festival ending with
spectacular fireworks. This is a very busy festival, very popular with
migrant Vichesi who return to their native town for this special
occasion.
From
the Chiesa del Carmine.
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| Aug |
Madonna di Canneto
Held at the
country church of the Canneto Spring - about 10 minutes outside Vico.
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| Aug 16 |
San Rocco in
Campagna
(St Rocco in the countryside)
After
the open air mass held at the country
church (about 15 minutes outside Vico) the statue of San Rocco is
carried into position to watch the fireworks display. A picnic
concludes festivities.
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| Aug 17 |
San Rocco
This is the busiest festival of the year lasting 3/4
days, featuring many concerts with visiting wind &
percussion bands and other activities.
On the penultimate evening there is
a "batteria" (a stunning firework display around the town
war memorial).
On the
final day, following a pop concert,
a further fireworks spectaclar is laid on - usually after midnight.
From the Chiesa di San
Pietro e Paolo.
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| Sep 8 |
Madonna delle Grazie
(Madonna of the
Graces (or Thanks))
This is our own local festival held at the country church
on the opposite side of the valley from Villa Oleandro.
Not so
much a Festa as a once a year church service for which the small chapel is
carefully adorned. So small it is almost a family affair, attended by local
landowners - regretfully, no fireworks.
Rocco, in the picture opposite, is one such owner, who stops work and
arrives with his two mules to take part.
From Chiesiola |
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| Sep 29 |
San Michele in Campagna
(St Michael in the
countryside).
A 1-day
festa held at the country church of San
Michele.
Again, a smallish affair
with a country procession where the saint's statue is carried to a huge
heap of stones, topped with a metal cross, onto which, for many decades,
processors have (and still do) cast a stone.
On
the return of the Saint (at dusk) a "batteria" is fired off and
later another fireworks display is given at Fuori Porta in Vico.
Also from the
Chiesa del Purgatorio
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| Christmas |
Christmas
celebrations consist mainly of Nativity Scenes. All churches (and
other establishments too) build their own displays and they are all
huge and very impressive. Many include a water feature and some a
twinkling night sky.
Male
voice choirs also give small carol concerts in their churches.
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These "Festa's" follow much the same pattern with 9 days of
praying and chanting in the relevant Saint's/Madonna's home church prior
to processions led by the statue of the Saint/Madonna in question who is
carried and followed
by their church's brethren.
The
bigger affairs end with spectacular
late-night fireworks displays which light up the skies and stretch the
eardrums to the limits.
Other Gargano Festivals
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