Santu Lazzaru Festival

A Lenten tradition brought back to the square

The Santu Lazzaru Festival is the event through which the Municipality of Collepasso, a small town in the province of Lecce in the heart of Salento, brings one of the oldest and most heartfelt songs of the Apulian Lenten period to the public square. Every year, as spring approaches and Lent marks the community calendar, a ritual of voices, instruments, and shared memory is renewed in Piazza Dante.

What is "lu Santu Lazzaru"?

The song of "lu Santu Lazzaru" is one of the few Lenten chants of the Passion of Christ still passed down to this day in Salento. It is a repetitive, slow-paced song performed in dialect, with lyrics inspired by the Passion and the figure of the suffering Christ. Traditionally, it was sung during the nights of Lent by groups of singers and musicians who, accompanied by the sound of the accordion, tambourine, and organetto, would go from house to house like a long devotional serenade, collecting food or money for parishes and charitable works.

The festival in Collepasso

In Collepasso, this tradition is deeply rooted and is renewed year after year thanks to groups of singers and musicians, often very young, who keep the memory of an intangible heritage alive that might otherwise be forgotten. The festival brings together various local groups for an evening of traditional songs and readings, turning Piazza Dante into an open-air stage where the Salento dialect takes center stage once again.

A heritage of Puglia

More than just a concert, the Santu Lazzaru Festival is an act of identity preservation: it weaves the religious dimension of Lent with the civic spirit of a community celebration, offering visitors an authentic glimpse into the oral culture of Salento and Puglia. Those who attend the evening capture the power of a tradition that, despite changing form over the centuries, continues to unite generations around the same melody.

Why attend

• Listen live to the ancient song of "lu Santu Lazzaru" in the Salento dialect.
• Discover traditional folk instruments such as the accordion, tambourine, and organetto.
• Experience the intimate and participatory atmosphere of Piazza Dante during Lent.
• Discover one of the most authentic expressions of Apulian intangible culture.