Solemn Celebrations in Honor of Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr

The Saint Blaise Festival in Casalnuovo di Napoli

Every year, between late January and early February, Casalnuovo di Napoli celebrates Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, who serves as the city's co-patron alongside its primary patron saint. These solemn festivities are organized by the San Giacomo Apostolo Maggiore Parish and represent one of the most deeply felt religious events in this town in the province of Naples, Campania.

Devotion to Saint Blaise

Saint Blaise, Bishop of Sebaste and martyr, is traditionally invoked as the protector of the throat. For this reason, at the end of each celebration, the faithful receive the characteristic blessing of the throat with the blessed oil of Saint Blaise, one of the most anticipated and well-attended moments of the festival. Here, popular devotion intertwines with the religious history of the Casalnuovo area.

The Religious Program

The festivities open with the novena, recited at the end of evening masses in the days leading up to the feast. The liturgical calendar includes the enthronement of the saint's statue, solemn masses, and, on the main day, a solemn concelebration presided over by a bishop from the Archdiocese of Naples.

• Novena: recited at the end of the evening holy masses
• Blessing of the throat with Saint Blaise's oil
• Solemn Mass and procession through the town streets
• Fireworks to conclude the festivities

The Procession and Fireworks

The heart of the festival is the grand procession which, on the Sunday preceding the feast, accompanies the statue of Saint Blaise along the streets of the town center, returning to the parish in the late afternoon. The passage of the statue is greeted by fireworks, while on February 3rd, the saint's liturgical feast day, a solemn evening mass is held, followed by another fireworks display in the parish square.

A Community Gathering

Under the patronage of the Municipality of Casalnuovo di Napoli, the solemn festivities in honor of Saint Blaise draw the entire parish and local community every year. It is an occasion that unites faith, tradition, and social connection, where local families gather around a devotion passed down from generation to generation in the heart of Campania.