Canti di Passione – Ce Custi o Gaddho na Cantalisi

A festival of sacred Holy Week songs

The Canti di Passione – Ce Custi o Gaddho na Cantalisi is a travelling festival dedicated to the sacred and devotional songs of Holy Week. Each spring, it winds through the villages of Grecìa Salentina, in the province of Lecce, Puglia. The title, in the Griko language, evokes the crowing of the rooster that accompanies the story of the Passion according to the local tradition of this corner of Salento, where a language of Hellenic origin still survives. The event is promoted by the Union of Municipalities of Grecìa Salentina with the participation of the "Diego Carpitella" Institute of Mediterranean Cultures, the support of the La Notte della Taranta Foundation and the Province of Lecce, and artistic direction by Antonio Melegari.

The Carpignano Salentino and Serrano stop

In the Municipality of Carpignano Salentino, the festival finds one of its most evocative settings: the Byzantine crypt of Santa Cristina, a jewel of Salento rock art, and the nearby village of Serrano, with the church of San Giorgio Martire. The evening often combines a guided tour of the village's historic sites—the crypt, the baronial palace, the mother church—with Passion songs performed by choirs and folk singers, in an itinerary that weaves together art, faith, and oral tradition music.

Music, rituals, and Griko memory

The festival was born from the desire to preserve and promote an ancient intangible heritage: the songs performed by the cantori (singers) of Salento during Lent and Holy Week, passed down from generation to generation. Each edition involves dozens of choirs and folk groups, confraternities, and guest ensembles from other regions, for a total of hundreds of artists animating twelve days of events in the municipalities of Grecìa Salentina, with special stops in Lecce and Alessano.

• Guided tour of the village's historic sites with narrative and musical stops;
• Performances by choirs and folk singers of the Salento tradition;
• Concerts featuring leading voices and musicians of Salento folk music;
• Rediscovery of the Griko language and Holy Week rituals;
• Traditional Lenten menus in participating restaurants.

A landmark event for the Municipality of Carpignano Salentino and Puglia

For the Municipality of Carpignano Salentino and the entire Grecìa Salentina area, the Canti di Passione represent a moment of strong cultural and spiritual identity. The festival intertwines the religious heritage of Holy Week with the ethnomusical richness of the territory, offering residents and visitors an authentic experience of listening and reflection among the churches and crypts of Salento. Admission to the events is free, but mandatory reservation is required.