Festa di Sant'Antonio di Padova
The festival of thanksgiving with the parade of wheat carts pulled by oxen, in Lupara
About Festa di Sant'Antonio
Saint Anthony and thanksgiving for wheat
The Festa di Sant'Antonio di Padova in Lupara, a municipality in the province of Campobasso overlooking the Biferno valley, is a ceremony of thanksgiving for the good wheat harvest. More than a simple religious festival, it is a peasant rite rooted in the agricultural civilization of the Molisan Sannio.
Wheat carts and oxen
The heart of the celebration is the procession, featuring decorated carts full of wheat sheaves, pulled by pairs of oxen with colourful capes. According to local tradition (the «traglie»), women carrying baskets of bread and biscuits and men dressed as reapers accompany the carts, in a procession that reconstructs the gestures and symbols of the harvest. It is an identity spectacle that draws residents and Lupara natives who have emigrated back to the village.
An authentic Molisan festival
The feast of Saint Anthony is one of the most cherished events in Lupara, alongside the feast of Saint Joseph (19 March), celebrated with altars and traditional sweets such as screppelle and caveciune. Together, they tell the peasant and devotional soul of this small municipality in the Biferno valley.
Festa di Sant'Antonio — edition 2026
In 2026, Lupara renews the Festa di Sant'Antonio di Padova, a ceremony of thanksgiving for the good wheat harvest. The procession features decorated carts full of sheaves, pulled by pairs of oxen with colourful capes, accompanied by women with baskets of bread and biscuits and men dressed as reapers. A peasant rite that renews the agricultural identity of the Biferno valley village each year. The precise dates will be communicated by the parish and the festival committee.
Programme Festa di Sant'Antonio 2026
July — festival day
- Liturgical celebrations in honour of Saint Anthony of Padua
- Procession with sheaf carts pulled by pairs of oxen
- Parade of reapers and women with baskets of bread and biscuits
- Civil celebrations
The detailed programme (exact date, evening events) will be defined by the parish and the festival committee.
Highlights Festa di Sant'Antonio 2026
- Parade of sheaf carts pulled by oxen (le traglie)
- Parade of reapers in costume
- Rite of thanksgiving for the wheat harvest
Prices Festa di Sant'Antonio 2026
Practical information — Festa di Sant'Antonio
Where
Historic centre of Lupara (CB), Biferno valley.
When
July.
Contacts
Municipality of Lupara, tel. +39 0874 741134.
How to get there
Lupara is reached by car from the SS647 Fondo Valle del Biferno, about 40 km from Campobasso.
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Where does it take place — Festa di Sant'Antonio
Centro storico di Lupara
Centro storico, 86030 Lupara