Focare (Christmas Eve Bonfires)

A night of fire at the foot of Mount Cervati

In Piaggine, a medieval village in the upper Cilento (province of Salerno), Christmas Eve is more than just a religious holiday: it is the night the entire village gathers around the fire. The focare—large bonfires built by residents in the various historic districts—are lit at dusk and kept burning until Christmas Day, illuminating the squares and the spaces in front of the churches. It is one of the most iconic winter rituals in this corner of Campania, located within the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park.

A friendly rivalry between districts

What makes Piaggine unique in the Cilento landscape is that the focara here is a matter of neighborhood pride. Each district builds its own pile and takes great pride in it: the tradition links the bonfires to the historic districts of 'a tempa, 'i coste, 'i monaci, and 'a chiazza, joined over time by other neighborhoods like San Giuseppe and Purcili. This creates a friendly competition that has no jury or prizes, but is played out on three specific fronts:

• The size of the pile, which they try to surpass year after year;
• The originality of the construction and the effigy placed on top;
• The sense of belonging, measured by how many locals gather around each fire.

Months of preparation

A focara is not improvised. Starting in autumn and throughout December, children and teenagers scour the countryside to collect abandoned logs and roots, supplemented by wood donated by families and, when available, timber provided by local authorities. On Christmas Eve, the assembly begins: the thickest logs go at the base, lighter wood on top, and brushwood in the center to facilitate ignition. The result is a rounded pyre, often topped with an effigy that, according to popular belief, represents the old year destined to burn.

The meaning: purifying, illuminating, warming

Symbolically, the focara has a dual soul. On one hand, the Catholic tradition: the great fire burns throughout the freezing night to warm the Baby Jesus about to be born. On the other, much older roots emerge, linked to propitiatory rites and the power attributed to fire to purify, banish darkness, and encourage rebirth. Until a few generations ago, farmers would observe the flames and the direction of the smoke to predict the harvest of the coming year.

Around the embers

After midnight, when the flames subside and only embers remain, the most convivial part of the night begins. Around each focara, people roast pork ribs and sausages, prepare bruschetta with local extra virgin olive oil, and share local wine. It is the moment when the neighborhood becomes one large open-air dining table, bringing together those who returned to the village for the holidays and those who never left. In editions organized in collaboration with the Pro Loco Cervati and the Municipality of Piaggine, tastings of local products in front of each bonfire have been offered by the organizers themselves.

The focare in Cilento

Piaggine is not alone: on Christmas Eve, fires are lit in numerous Cilento towns, from Gioi to Campora, from Galdo to Mandia di Ascea, each with its own variations. In Campora, for example, the wood is blessed and a burning ember is brought into the home fireplace as a good luck gesture. Those visiting the area during those days can easily create a small itinerary between several villages, but Piaggine remains one of the places where the neighborhood spirit has remained most vibrant.

What to expect

• A free and spontaneous event, with no tickets or fences: you simply participate by arriving in the village.
• Fires lit in multiple points of the historic center simultaneously: it is best to move on foot from one district to another.
• Cold temperatures—Piaggine is at an altitude of about 630 meters—and the real possibility of snow or frost.
• A family atmosphere, with children, the elderly, and young people all gathered around the same pile.