Festa di San Donato

San Donato and the weighing ritual

On August 7th, Cercepiccola, in the province of Campobasso, celebrates San Donato with a festival that holds a fascinating ritual: the weighing. This is a paraliturgical ceremony where the faithful place one foot on one of the pans of a scale while the officiant recites the prayer and imparts the aspersion, invoking the saint's intercession. Historically linked to the protection of children and against the "terrible evil" interpreted as epilepsy, the ritual has replaced ancient grain offerings with monetary offerings.

The procession and delegations

The day includes a solemn procession through the characteristic streets of the historic centre, accompanied by a prestigious brass band. Civil delegations with the gonfalons of neighbouring municipalities participate — Cercemaggiore, Sepino, Giuliano del Sannio, and Mirabello Sannitico — attesting to the historical religious importance of this locality. Banknotes are tied to the saint's effigy with ribbons, devotional offerings for the success of the festival.

Cercepiccola in the Sannio region of Molise

Cercepiccola is a small village in the Sannio area of the province of Campobasso, near Sepino and the remains of ancient Saepinum. The Festa di San Donato, with its weighing ritual, represents one of the most vibrant examples of popular religiosity in inland Molise, where faith, tradition, and community identity still merge today.