Brusa la Vecia

The bonfire that closes the old year

Brusa la Vecia is the tradition that every January 6th lights up the evening of Epiphany in Suzzara, in the Province of Mantua. At the heart of the festival is fire, a purifying and auspicious element: on the large bonfire in Piazza Castello, the effigy of the Vecchia (Old Woman) is burned, a puppet representing the year that has just ended. The ritual symbolically marks the transition from the old to the new, welcomes winter, and invokes light, luck, and prosperity for the months to come.

A pagan-rural tradition of the Bassa

Known throughout the Mantua and Po Valley plain by the dialectal name of "buriel", the burning of the Old Woman is rooted in the region's peasant culture. It's not just Suzzara: the entire Bassa, from Revere to Castiglione, celebrates Epiphany by lighting its bonfires. In Suzzara, the event takes place in the heart of the city, in Piazza Castello, and is eagerly awaited by families and curious onlookers who gather to share the warmth of the fire and the flavor of winter.

Between music, mulled wine, and flames

The evening blends convivial moments with spectacular ones: stands offer hot tea and mulled wine, while the roll of the Tamburi del Crostolo (Crostolo Drummers) accompanies the wait for the lighting. When the Old Woman catches fire, the spectacle of the large bonfire in the winter darkness becomes the highlight, traditionally sealed with pyrotechnic effects as well.