Festa del Grano di Jelsi

A promise born from an earthquake

The Festa del Grano di Jelsi has its roots in July 26, 1805, Saint Anne's Day, when a violent earthquake razed Bojano and much of Molise to the ground. Jelsi, a small municipality in the province of Campobasso, miraculously emerged almost unscathed: the community attributed its salvation to the intercession of Saint Anne and vowed to honour her every year by offering her the first fruits of the harvest. Since then, every July 26th, the entire village parades, bringing wheat to the saint.

An arboreal rite of ephemeral art

The heart of the festival is the parade of the 'traglie' — ancient wooden carts once pulled by oxen to transport sheaves of wheat — and the allegorical floats entirely covered in wheat. Every surface is decorated grain by grain: sacred scenes, architectural structures, and entire figures made solely of ears, straw, and stalks, the result of months of patient work. Alongside the floats, women parade with the famous wheat plaits, long garlands braided by hand and worn on their heads or hung as decorations along the village streets.

The festival today

The event is organised by the Comitato Sant'Anna APS (Saint Anne Committee), which has established a true 'Carro School' and a 'Plaits School' to pass on the techniques to new generations. The blessing of the floats, solemn masses in honour of Saint Anne, and evening concerts in the square complete two intense days of faith, work, and folk art. The Festa del Grano is recognised as a centuries-old heritage and represents one of the highest expressions of Molise's peasant culture.