Patronal Feast of San Panfilo and Sant'Emidio

The patronal feast of Scerni

Every year in late April, the village of Scerni—a hillside town in the province of Chieti overlooking the Sinello Valley in the heart of the Vastese—gathers for the Patronal Feast of San Panfilo and Sant'Emidio. It is the most anticipated event for the local community, a blend of religious devotion, popular tradition, and moments of great conviviality that brings together residents, young people, and many emigrants who return to their native village for these days.

San Panfilo and Sant'Emidio, the village protectors

The festival is dedicated to two figures dear to the community. San Panfilo of Sulmona, celebrated on April 28, is the patron saint of Scerni. Sant'Emidio, celebrated the following day, is venerated as co-patron and protector against earthquakes: popular tradition credits him with having saved the village from the devastating fury of tremors multiple times, which is why his cult remains deeply rooted in this Abruzzese village.

The San Panfilo Banquet

The civil and social heart of the festival is the Historic San Panfilo Banquet, which officially opens the festivities. It takes place at the "Cosimo Ridolfi" Agricultural Technical Institute and attracts hundreds of diners every year: music, children's entertainment, dancing, and conviviality until late at night, with the entire community seated at one massive table. During the days of the fair in honor of the saint, the traditional distribution of taralli for the town's districts is also renewed, accompanied by the Scerni Band along the main street.

Processions, brass bands, and concerts in the square

The most solemn moment is April 28, dedicated to San Panfilo, featuring a Solemn Holy Mass, a wreath-laying ceremony for the fallen, a procession with the saint's statue through the historic center, fireworks, and a free spaghetti feast in the square offered to the entire community. April 29 is dedicated to Sant'Emidio, with a procession accompanied by the "Città di Scerni" Band and an evening musical show in Piazza De Riseis, the beating heart of the festival's civil celebrations.

A festival for the entire community

The Patronal Feast of Scerni is organized by the Festival Committee with the support of the Municipality and the parish. It represents much more than a religious anniversary: it is the occasion when this Vastese village rediscovers its identity, between the sacred and the profane, tradition and local celebration, in one of the most well-attended events in the Chieti hinterland.