Festa di Sant'Emidio con le Traglie

Molise's Gold Among the Ears of Corn

In Roccavivara, a village in the Trigno Valley in the province of Campobasso, one of Molise's most fascinating wheat festivals is celebrated on August 5th: the Festa di Sant'Emidio con le Traglie. The traglie are agricultural carts and compositions decorated with ears of corn and wheat braids made entirely by hand, which adorn the village streets with gold as a sign of gratitude for the summer harvest. One wheat braid even reached a record length of 310 metres, connecting the entire historic centre.

Sant'Emidio, Protector Against Earthquakes

The devotion to Sant'Emidio, a saint originally from Ascoli Piceno and invoked against earthquakes, began in Roccavivara after the violent earthquake of 1805: according to tradition, during a procession dedicated to the saint, the village houses remained intact while nearby villages were hit. Since then, Sant'Emidio has been the protector of the village, celebrated every August 5th.

The Festival

The day includes the blessing of the wheat carts, a procession with the statue of the saint, traditional music, and the tasting of local products. The parade of the traglie through the streets of the centre is the most anticipated moment, capable of attracting visitors from all over the Trigno Valley and renewing an agricultural rite that intertwines faith, popular art, and gratitude for the land.