Teora Carnival “Lì Squacqualacchiun” and the Tomacelle Festival

The most authentic Carnival in Alta Irpinia

In the Municipality of Teora, a small village of just over 1,400 inhabitants perched at 660 meters in the Province of Avellino, Carnival is not just a masquerade but a true community rite. The Teora Carnival, which combines the “Lì Squacqualacchiun” mask with the Tomacelle Festival, opens the Alta Irpinia carnival season every year at the end of January, drawing visitors from all over Campania. The event is organized by Pro Loco Teora in collaboration with the local administration.

Lì Squacqualacchiun: the mask of Teora

This is the figure that gives the festival its name. As evening falls, men in costume, armed with sticks and cowbells, move through the town's districts without a set route: they disturb passersby with deafening noise, pranks, and intentionally provocative gestures, only to suddenly disappear into the alleys of the historic center. The procession finally converges in the main square, where the concluding ritual takes place: an improvised dance, first around “lu pagliar,” the propitiatory bonfire, and then around the town fountain.

The costume, rough and noisy, closely resembles the archaic masks of the Mediterranean: it is no coincidence that the most immediate comparison is with the Sardinian Mamuthones. To close the festivities, the most spectacular moment arrives: the “flight of the fiery Squacqualacchione,” which sets the Teora night ablaze.

The Tomacelle Festival

Alongside the folklore, there is the food. The tomacella is the iconic dish of Teora: a meatball prepared with pork meat and offal, enriched with horseradish and grated cheese, served grilled or boiled. The traditional accompaniment includes potatoes, peppers, and local wine. The food stalls set up in the town offer tomacelle along with other Irpinian specialties, in a journey that is, for all intents and purposes, the gastronomic heart of the Carnival.

• Tomacelle grilled or boiled, with horseradish and cheese
• Side dishes of potatoes and peppers
• Irpinian wines
• Other typical products of Alta Irpinia

An anthropological carnival open to Italy

The formula that has made the event recognizable is that of the anthropological mask parades: folk groups from other towns in Campania and other regions are invited to Teora to showcase their own carnival traditions. In recent years, the Traditional Aquarese Carnival, the “O'ntreccio” Folk Group from Montoro, the Tarantellati of Volturara, the Domino of Lavello, and the Carnival of the Poor have all participated. In 2026, the most anticipated highlight was the arrival of the Mamuthones and Issohadores of Mamoiada from Sardinia: rhythmic steps, hypnotic sounds, and ancient masks gifted the town one of the most intense moments of the event.

Music, stalls, and nights in the square

The program alternates between ritual and popular celebration: a tourist tour of the town in the morning, the opening of stalls in the afternoon, parades, followed by live concerts of folk and popular music and DJ sets until late at night. It is a simple formula that works: in 2026, the Pro Loco recorded very high attendance, with the historic center packed for both days.

Teora, a village in Alta Irpinia

Teora is located on the eastern edge of the Province of Avellino, near the border with Basilicata, in an area deeply marked by the 1980 Irpinia earthquake and rebuilt with a modern urban layout alongside the old core. Precisely for this reason, the defense of traditions has a special value here: the Squacqualacchiun mask and the tomacella are two of the identity markers that the community has chosen not to lose. Visiting the town during Carnival is the best way to understand this lesser-known part of inland Campania.