Santa Lucia Fair (December)

A centuries-old fair in the heart of Salento

The Santa Lucia Fair is one of the most deeply rooted and cherished events in Erchie, a small town in the Province of Brindisi, Puglia, bordering the Salento areas of Lecce and Taranto. Every year, around December 13th, the feast day of the martyr from Syracuse, the streets of the historic center fill with stalls: while non-food items dominate, there is no shortage of stands offering local specialties and gastronomic delights. In 2025, the fair reached its 167th edition, a testament to a continuity that spans generations.

The Sanctuary of Saint Lucy and the miraculous water

The bond between Erchie and Saint Lucy is ancient. Tradition traces it back to a stopover by the Byzantine army transporting the saint's relics to Constantinople: the soldiers rested near a spring in a wooded area guarded by Basilian monks. The Sanctuary of Saint Lucy, officially established in 1953, houses an underground spring of clear water considered miraculous by popular devotion. Saint Lucy is the patron saint of eyesight—her name evokes light, «Lux»—and for this reason, the faithful often bathe their eyes with water from the spring, seeking grace through her intercession.

Faith, processions, and music

The religious heart of the festival is the candlelight procession that departs from Piazza Umberto I, where the martyr's relics are displayed, followed by a solemn mass presided over by the Bishop of Oria. The sacred dimension is complemented by popular festivities: food stalls managed by parish associations, a food and wine trail, and an art exhibition in the atrium of the Ducal Palace, alongside brass band concerts and musical evenings in the square.

The Swedish choir tradition

A truly unique feature of the Erchie festival is the performance of the Swedish Saint Lucy choir, held on December 14th in Piazza Umberto I. In Sweden, Saint Lucy is celebrated with the traditional procession of girls dressed in white wearing candle crowns: in Erchie, this Nordic custom meets Salento devotion, creating a unique cultural twinning in the Apulian landscape.

Why it's worth visiting

The Santa Lucia Fair is the perfect opportunity to discover Erchie and its Sanctuary, experience the atmosphere of Salento's patronal feasts, and stroll among the stalls in the mid-December Christmas spirit. A free, open-air event that blends spirituality, tradition, and local flavors.