Festa di Sant'Anna e Sfilata dei Covoni

A rite of thanksgiving for the grain

In Pescolanciano, in the province of Isernia, the Festa di Sant'Anna is rooted in an ancient peasant rite of thanksgiving for the grain harvest. The tradition is particularly linked to the earthquake of 26 July 1805: the community, having survived the catastrophe, vowed to honour Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin, every year. In popular devotion, she is considered the protector of mothers and guarantor of the land's fertility.

The Sfilata dei Covoni (Procession of Sheaves)

The heart of the festival is the Sfilata dei Covoni, the 'manuocchi' (from the Latin manuculus): sheaves of wheat decorated with flowers that are carried in procession in many different ways — balanced on the head using the traditional ring called spara, on carts, in baskets, or by hand. The participants wear traditional costumes and reapers' clothes, and also parade with the ancient traglie, the grain sledges of peasant culture. The procession follows the statue of Saint Anne, accompanied by a band playing the hymn dedicated to the saint, and concludes at the Church of the Saviour with the blessing of the grain.

Two days of tradition

The procession of the manuocchi takes place in the late afternoon of 25 July, while on 26 July a second procession accompanies the statue of Saint Anne. The festival, with free admission, is enriched by convivial moments linked to bread and local produce, in an interweaving of faith, historical memory, and agricultural culture that makes Pescolanciano an unmissable stop for those who want to discover the deepest soul of Alto Molise.