Festival of Fire

Grello and the ritual of fire

Grello is a small hamlet in the municipality of Gualdo Tadino, in the province of Perugia, at the foot of the Umbrian-Marche Apennines. Its Festival of Fire has its roots in a ritual of probable pagan origins, linked to the summer solstice and the ancient ritual of fire and water, later assimilated into Christian tradition and connected to the eve of Saint John the Baptist. Passed down orally, the celebration has been regularly revived since 1980.

The Night of Fire

The heart of the festival is the Night of Fire, between June 23rd and 24th. The three districts of the village — San Giovanni, Sant'Angelo, and San Donato — parade with torches and tregge, large wooden sleds loaded with incije (bundles of straw and wood) that are set on fire. Each district fields six Fire Bearers for the ritual race: they run with burning torches around the old castle walls and drag the tregge through the village streets, in a competition between the districts that culminates in a pyromusical show.

Between faith and community

On the morning of June 24th, the festival continues with the solemn Holy Mass and the procession in honor of Saint John the Baptist. The Festival of Fire of Grello is a rare example of a living folk tradition, capable of uniting historical memory, ritual, and the identity of an entire community.