Madonna delle Galline Festival

A devotion born among the chickens

The Madonna delle Galline Festival is the heart and soul of Pagani, in the province of Salerno, Campania. Tradition tells that a wooden panel depicting the Madonna del Carmelo, which had disappeared from a mountain chapel in the Tramonti area, reappeared in the Pagani countryside during Easter week, discovered by chickens scratching in the yard. From that discovery and the miracles attributed to the image between 1609 and 1610, the cult of the 'Madonna delle Galline' (Our Lady of the Hens) was born, marking the city's spring for over four centuries.

When it is celebrated

The festivities take place during the Easter Octave and culminate on Sunday in Albis, the first Sunday after Easter, when the Virgin's effigy is carried in procession through all the city streets. There are no fixed dates: the calendar follows the Easter cycle, meaning the festival can fall anywhere between early April and early May. In 2026, the program ran from April 10th to 14th, under the theme 'Morning Star', inspired by one of the Marian invocations of Saint Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori.

The 'toselli', courtyard altars

During the festival, the historic center fills with toselli: small votive altars set up by residents in courtyards, alleys, and entryways, decorated with drapes, flowers, lights, and sacred images. Each 'tosello' is a place for stopping and singing, and together they form an experiential path that can be followed on foot throughout the city. In 2026, thirty-seven were set up, and thirty-one in 2025—a number that grows year by year, testifying to how the festival remains a collective, neighborhood-driven event rather than a tourist spectacle.

Tammurriate, tammorre, and canti a figliola

• The sound of the tammorra, the large frame drum, accompanies the festival non-stop from Friday evening until Monday dawn.
• The paranze, groups of musicians and singers, take turns in courtyards and squares with tammurriate dances and canti a figliola songs, supported by castanets.
• The most moving ritual is the deposition of the tammorre at the feet of the Virgin at dawn on Monday: the instruments are left in the sanctuary, symbolically closing the festive cycle.
• The night before is occupied by the 'Battendo la Diana' vigil, which accompanies the devotees until sunrise.

The Ritmo Festival

For years, the religious program has been accompanied by the Ritmo Festival, an international review dedicated to traditional music and dance, under the artistic direction of Vincenzo Romano. Two days of workshops on 'tammorra', singing, and folk dance in the late afternoon are followed by evening concerts in Piazza Corpo di Cristo and Piazza Sant'Alfonso. It is the most open and contemporary part of the festival, drawing scholars, musicians, and enthusiasts to Pagani from all over Italy and abroad.

Intangible Heritage of Italy

The festival has been included by the Central Institute for Intangible Heritage among the intangible assets of Italy as a living example of Campanian popular religiosity. This recognition has strengthened documentation efforts: photographic exhibitions, guided cultural tours, and in-depth seminars now permanently accompany the liturgical calendar.

What to expect as a visitor

Those arriving in Pagani during these days will find a city that never stops: masses and liturgies at the sanctuary, processions of 'tammorre' moving from one alley to another, stalls selling local products, refreshment points, and families opening their doors to show off their 'tosello'. Traditionally, tortani and other rustic breads are offered to the Madonna, along with the barnyard animals that give the festival its name. We recommend dedicating at least one full day to the historic center, arriving early on Sunday to witness the procession and staying into the evening for the concerts.

An event that involves all of Campania

Although deeply rooted in Pagani, the Madonna delle Galline Festival attracts tens of thousands of people every year from the entire province of Salerno, the Vesuvius area, and Naples. It is one of the rituals that best captures the continuity between Marian devotion and peasant culture in Southern Italy, and it remains one of the most authentic religious folklore events in the Campanian calendar.