February 17th — Bonfires of Freedom and Waldensian Worship

The Waldensian festival of freedom in Rorà

In the heart of the Pellice Valley, in the province of Turin, the mountain village of Rorà (home to just over two hundred residents) celebrates February 17th every year, the most significant date in the civil and religious calendar of the Waldensian Valleys. It is a festival of freedom: on the evening of February 16th, bonfires of freedom are lit on the heights, while on February 17th, a solemn service is held in the village's Waldensian church.

What is commemorated

The date marks February 17, 1848, when King Charles Albert signed the Letters Patent that granted the Waldensians civil and religious rights, ending centuries of discrimination. For the Protestant minority in the Piedmontese valleys, that day marked the beginning of their emancipation, and the fires lit on the mountains have since become its symbol: a chain of lights that, from one valley to another, recalls the end of isolation and the achievement of freedom.

Rorà, a village of Waldensian memory

Rorà holds a special place in Waldensian history: between 1655 and 1685, a popular army led by Giosuè Gianavello, the Lion of Rorà, repeatedly resisted the ducal troops, and the village was a key site during the events of the Glorious Return. The Waldensian church, rebuilt and inaugurated in 1846, is the village's landmark and bears witness to centuries of struggle for freedom of worship. Celebrating February 17th here means experiencing a history of dignity and perseverance firsthand.

The two-day program

• February 16th (evening): Meeting in front of the church, torchlight procession to the sports field, and lighting of the bonfire; followed by mulled wine and hot chocolate offered by the ANA in the area near the fire.
• February 17th (morning): Solemn service in the church with the participation of the Rorà Waldensian Choir, followed by a community lunch in the Waldensian hall.

A valley-wide tradition

On the same evening of February 16th, bonfires are lit in many municipalities of the Pellice and Pinerolo valleys — Bobbio Pellice, Torre Pellice, Luserna San Giovanni, Villar Pellice, Prarostino, San Secondo di Pinerolo — creating a striking landscape of fires dotting the mountains. Rorà, with its intimate scale and strong bond with Waldensian history, offers one of the most authentic and participatory moments in all of Protestant Piedmont.