Te cumpà me

An end-of-winter ritual rooted in the Italic world

Every year, during the final days of February, the small village of Scontrone, in the province of L'Aquila, renews one of the most evocative rituals of inland Abruzzo: "Te cumpà me". This is an ancient end-of-winter propitiatory ceremony of pagan origin, through which the community of the Upper Sangro Valley greets the imminent arrival of spring and symbolically bids farewell to the cold season.

The tradition finds its roots in the cult of the goddess Pomona, an Italic deity of the countryside worshipped by the Samnites as the protector of gardens, orchards, and the fertility of the land. The ritual is thus a living memory of an archaic agricultural religion, an unbroken bond between Scontrone and its Samnite roots, with documented parallels in the nearby town of Alfedena.

Cowbells, effigies, and the burning of winter

During the event, groups of costumed performers roam the narrow streets and alleys of the historic center. Equipped with horns and cowbells, using tin cans transformed into drums and dragging jars along the ground, the participants fill the village with a great festive noise, chanting the dialect formula that invokes spring: "Te cumpà me, ess marz ca mo se ne vè".

The parade of straw effigies, crafted by the local youth, accompanies the procession to the main square. There, on the final evening, the large puppets are set ablaze in a liberating bonfire: winter is sacrificed so that spring may finally arrive. The evening continues in a convivial atmosphere with accordion music and tastings of local dishes.

An event bridging culture, community, and territory

Organized by the Scontrone Hikers Association, "Te cumpà me" is much more than a festival: it is a moment of collective identity that involves both young and old, keeping ancestral practices related to the agricultural cycle alive. In recent years, the event has been enriched with a cultural focus, featuring a conference dedicated to end-of-winter rituals between Abruzzo and Molise, testifying to the ethnographic value of this tradition.

Scontrone, a village in the Upper Sangro Valley

The Municipality of Scontrone stands at an altitude of about 1000 meters, on the left bank of the Sangro River, in a strategic position on the border between Abruzzo, Lazio, and Molise, at the gates of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise. With its medieval atmosphere, murals, and paleontological heritage, the village offers the ideal setting to experience an authentic ritual of the Abruzzo mountains, far from mass tourism circuits.