Luciano Carnival (Mascherata Luciana)

A village Carnival rooted in peasant tradition

The Luciano Carnival is the most iconic winter festival in Santa Lucia di Serino, a town of just over 1,400 inhabitants in the province of Avellino, Campania. Nestled at an altitude of 400 meters in the upper Sabato Valley, on the edge of the Monti Picentini Regional Park, the village preserves an ancient carnival tradition featuring homemade masks, brass music, and rituals that bid farewell to winter. There are no large allegorical floats or stages here: the festival takes place in the streets, between Piazza San Giuseppe Moscati and the narrow alleys of the center, involving the entire community.

The Mascherata Luciana

The most anticipated moment is the Mascherata, a masked parade that travels through the village streets accompanied by a folk band. The costumes feature an 19th-century repertoire passed down from generation to generation: hunting jackets, riding breeches, vests heavy with charms, hats adorned with multicolored ribbons, and masks that cover only part of the face. Alongside them, men dress as women, wearing wide skirts almost to the ankle and brightly colored blouses: an archaic trait recalling a time when women were forbidden from participating in public events. To the rhythm of the brass instruments, a type of tarantella is danced, the signature dance of the Luciano mascherata.

«Misi e l'Anno», the procession of the twelve months

The other heart of the festival is the performance of the «Misi e l'Anno» (The Months and the Year), one of the most characteristic rituals in Irpinia. A procession of twelve characters on horseback parades through the streets, representing the twelve months of the year, led by Methuselah: each presents themselves with verses in the local dialect and the tools and fruits of their season. It is a rite of thanksgiving to Mother Earth for the gifts received, a direct testament to the peasant culture of the Sabato Valley and one of the elements that makes the Luciano Carnival unique among all other Irpinian carnivals.

Masked balls and food stalls

After the parade, the festivities continue with masked dances and stalls dedicated to local gastronomy, set up in the town center. It is an opportunity to taste traditional Irpinian dishes and typical products of the upper Sabato Valley in a festive atmosphere open to families, groups, and visitors of all ages. Admission to the parade is free, and the event is designed to be accessible to everyone.

Part of the Irpinian Carnival circuit

The Luciano Carnival is part of the rich calendar of Irpinian Carnivals that animate dozens of towns in the province of Avellino between February and March: from the Zeza of Mercogliano and Paternopoli to the tarantella of Montemarano, the Mascarata of Serino, and the allegorical floats of Cesinali. Each village guards its own variant, and Santa Lucia di Serino stands out precisely for the «Misi e l'Anno» and the folk brass band that accompanies the parade.

Santa Lucia di Serino, the village of Saint Giuseppe Moscati

The festival takes place in the town's living room, Piazza San Giuseppe Moscati, named after the saintly doctor whose family originated from Santa Lucia di Serino and who spent his summers here in the 17th-century Palazzo Moscati. Those arriving for the Carnival can take the opportunity to visit the Church of Santa Maria della Sanità, with its 1749 majolica floor, and the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, which houses a Pietà attributed to the school of Solimena. The town is just twelve kilometers from Avellino and is a convenient stop for those exploring Irpinia in winter.