La Pasquarella in Tufo di Carsoli

La Pasquarella, an Epiphany Eve ritual

La Pasquarella is one of the most evocative folk traditions of the upper Marsica region: an ancient ritual of well-wishing songs celebrated on the evening of January 5th, the eve of Epiphany, in the village of Tufo, a hamlet of the municipality of Carsoli, in the province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo). Preserved and presented every year by the Pro Loco of Tufo di Carsoli APS, it is a rite of oral transmission rooted in the local peasant culture.

U Vecchione and the house-to-house tour

The absolute star of the evening is U Vecchione: an elderly villager dressed in old peasant clothes, wearing a hat and a black cloak, holding a staff in one hand and shaking a large cowbell in the other to announce his arrival and that of the group. At nightfall, a cheerful procession winds through the village, knocking on doors. When the host opens up, U Vecchione greets them with the traditional formula "Buonasera e Buona Pasqua" (Good evening and Happy Easter), then enters to approach the hearth and bless the fire.

Traditional songs

After the blessing, the rest of the group enters the home to sing old nursery rhymes and folk songs passed down by the village elders, such as the famous refrain "Addemà è Paquarella che da nu è tanto aggramata co lo caciu e la frittata". These are songs of good fortune celebrating the arrival of the Magi, the Befana, the New Year, and the holidays, concluding with wishes of prosperity for the family. La Pasquarella belongs to the same family of rituals found across the Marche, Umbria, Romagna, and Lazio regions, related to the Tuscan Befanata.

The community evening

The itinerant ritual then gives way to a convivial moment: the Pro Loco hosts a dinner for the community and the traditional tombolata, a chance to gather in the warmth after the tour of the village streets. La Pasquarella is part of a rich calendar of winter events that Tufo di Carsoli hosts between December and January, from the unveiling of the nativity scene to Christmas concerts, leading up to the feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot on January 18th.

Why it is worth attending

• An authentic ritual of well-wishing still alive today, not a tourist reconstruction.
• The charismatic figure of U Vecchione and the blessing of the hearth.
• The songs and rhymes in the Marsican dialect passed down orally.
• The warm hospitality of a small village in the Abruzzo Apennines.