Saint Anthony Abbot Festival — Nuova Cliternia

A tradition that transcends time

On January 16th, in the hamlet of Nuova Cliternia in Campomarino, in the province of Campobasso, the song of Saint Anthony Abbot is renewed, one of the most deeply rooted folk traditions of Adriatic Molise. A group of friends united by a bond that goes beyond time, age, and daily difficulties carries on an ancient rite, passed down orally from generation to generation.

The house-to-house begging song

The group, composed of about fifteen people among adults, young people, and children, travels through the streets of the hamlet, visiting homes. The singers are accompanied by the typical instruments of folk tradition—accordion, concertina, guitar, and tambourine—as well as simple and improvised instruments. At each stop, they sing the traditional songs dedicated to the saint.

The welcome and the meaning of the feast

Each family welcomes the group by offering cured meats, cheeses, and wine, in a gesture of hospitality that is the very heart of the feast. Saint Anthony Abbot, patron saint of animals and fire, is a central figure in peasant culture, and this rite celebrates his memory by intertwining devotion, music, and conviviality. The same tradition is also observed, on the same day, in the nearby district of Cianaluca.