Festival of Saint Anthony of Padua
The thanksgiving festival with the parade of wheat carts pulled by oxen, in Lupara
About Festival of Saint Anthony
Saint Anthony and Thanksgiving for Wheat
The Festival of Saint Anthony of Padua 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 ritual 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. Accompanying the carts, according to local tradition (the 'traglie'), are women carrying baskets of bread and biscuits and men dressed as reapers, 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 festival of Saint Anthony is one of the most cherished events in Lupara, alongside the festival of Saint Joseph (March 19th), celebrated with altars and traditional sweets like screppelle and caveciune. Together, they tell the peasant and devotional soul of this small municipality in the Biferno valley.
Festival of Saint Anthony — edition 2026
In 2026, Lupara renews the Festival of Saint Anthony of Padua, 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 ritual that annually renews the agricultural identity of the village in the Biferno valley. Precise dates will be announced by the parish and the festival committee.
Programme Festival of Saint Anthony 2026
July — festival day
- Liturgy in honour of Saint Anthony of Padua
- Procession with wheat sheaf carts pulled by pairs of oxen
- Procession of reapers and women with baskets of bread and biscuits
- Civil celebrations
The detailed program (exact date, evening events) will be defined by the parish and the festival committee.
Highlights Festival of Saint Anthony 2026
- Parade of sheaf carts pulled by oxen (the 'traglie')
- Procession of reapers in costume
- Thanksgiving ritual for the wheat harvest
Prices Festival of Saint Anthony 2026
Practical information — Festival of Saint Anthony
Where
Historic centre of Lupara (CB), Biferno valley.
When
July.
Contacts
Municipality of Lupara, tel. +39 0874 741134.
How to get there
Lupara can be reached by car from the SS647 Fondo Valle del Biferno, about 40 km from Campobasso.
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Noticed an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every proposal is verified by our team before publication.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.
Where does it take place — Festival of Saint Anthony
Centro storico di Lupara
Centro storico, 86030 Lupara