SS. Crocifisso Festival

A devotion that spans the centuries

The SS. Crocifisso Festival is the most defining event on the calendar of Marcianise, a populous town in the Province of Caserta, Campania. At the heart of it all is a wooden statue of Christ on the cross, a work by sculptor Giacomo Colombo, purchased in Naples in 1706 by the local clergy and since then kept in the Duomo di San Michele Arcangelo, the mother church on Via Duomo. The devotion of the people of Marcianise toward this image is ancient and linked to episodes that local tradition considers miraculous: a long drought at the end of the 18th century reportedly ended the day after a penitential procession with the sacred effigy, and the community also attributes protection from cholera epidemics to the Crucifix.

The flag-raising on July 25th

The festival has its own prelude, much loved in the city: on July 25th, after the evening mass at the Duomo, the flag-raising ceremony takes place, with the hoisting of the banner bearing the dates of the festivities and an initial fireworks display. It is the moment when Marcianise officially discovers when the festival will take place. The recurrence, originally set for July 25th, was later moved to September to avoid interfering with the agricultural work of the harvest: since then, July 25th has remained the day of the announcement, while the actual festival is celebrated in mid-September, around September 14th, the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

The religious heart: novena, solemn mass, and procession

The liturgical part is curated by the San Michele Arcangelo Parish and is preceded by the novena to the SS. Crocifisso. The culminating moment is the solemn mass, often presided over by the Archbishop of Capua, followed by the procession that reaches Piazza Umberto I from the Duomo and crosses the streets of the center, including Via De Felice, Viale della Vittoria, Viale Kennedy, Via San Giuliano, Via Salzano, Via Grillo, Via Santoro, Via Roma, and Via Duomo. Due to its delicate state of conservation, the original sacred effigy is carried in procession only every five years.

The flower festival on the Duomo churchyard

On the day of the procession, the churchyard of the Duomo is covered in petals: the Infioratori Marcianise association, with the help of volunteers and the faithful, creates a large floral carpet composed in the hours preceding the passage of the Crucifix. It is one of the most photographed images of the festival and one of the moments where popular participation is best seen, with entire families working until late at night.

The secular festival: Piazza Umberto I and the great concerts

Alongside the religious dimension, the Municipality of Marcianise and the festival committee build a secular program every year that is surprisingly high-level for a provincial town. The main stage is in Piazza Umberto I, the elegant Bourbon-style square overlooked by the town hall, where singers from the Neapolitan and national scene, comedy groups, dance bands, fashion shows, performances by local dance schools, and beauty pageants alternate during the festival evenings. In recent years, names well-known to the general public have performed, and the White Night (Notte Bianca) that precedes the opening has now taken the place of a true city prologue, with shops open, music playing, and street food from Piazza Carità to Piazza Umberto I.

Sport, culture, and solidarity

• Arte&Tradizioni: the historic painting and sculpture exhibition set up in the Crucifix chapel on Via Santoro, now in its twentieth edition.
• Corri Marcianise and the cycling races dedicated to the SS. Crocifisso, including the historic Coppa SS. Crocifisso.
• Inflatable games and activities for children in the city's neighborhoods.
• The solidarity dinner which, in various editions, has closed the festivities by donating the proceeds to charitable projects.

Flavors and atmosphere

As in every great festival in Campania, the streets fill with stalls: nougat and brittle, peanuts, cotton candy, mostaccioli, sausage sandwiches, and traditional Caserta sweets accompany the evenings, amidst arches of illuminations and rides. The finale is entrusted to the fireworks, which also attract emigrated Marcianise residents and visitors from neighboring towns to the city.

When to go

The festival lasts five days, in the second week of September, with leftovers the following day for the fireworks. Those who want to capture its soul must be there on the day of the procession and the flower festival: that is where Marcianise shows its most authentic face.