Sagra di San Nazeè

The watermelon festival of Meda

The Sagra di San Nazeè is a historic popular festival in Meda, a Municipality in the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is dedicated to Saints Nazaro and Celso – "San Nazeè" in the local dialectal form – and takes place around the Church of Saints Nazaro and Celso, in Via San Celso, on the border between Meda and Seveso. The organization is handled by the Comitato Santi Nazaro e Celso, with the patronage of the Municipalities of Meda and Seveso.

Devotion and tradition

The festival maintains a strong religious dimension, with the recitation of the Holy Rosary in the preceding days, the solemn mass, and prayers with the kissing of the relics. Around these moments of devotion, the popular festival unfolds, accompanied by the music of the La Cittadina band from Seveso, which has always enlivened the event.

The watermelon distribution

The most characteristic feature of the Sagra di San Nazeè is the free distribution of watermelon slices, which has earned the event the nickname "watermelon festival". It is a gesture of conviviality that attracts hundreds of people and, on warm July evenings, becomes the symbol of the festival.

A community event

The festival represents a meeting point for the inhabitants of Meda and Seveso, capable of uniting religious tradition with popular tradition. In a neighborhood straddling the two Municipalities, the Sagra di San Nazeè renews every summer the community's bond with its patron saints and its roots, in a simple and festive atmosphere.