Thanksgiving Day

A farming tradition in the heart of Piedmont

The Thanksgiving Day in Casalgrasso is one of the most cherished events for the agricultural community of the Savigliano area, in the province of Cuneo. Promoted by Coldiretti, it gathers farmers and their families every year to celebrate the work in the fields, give thanks for the recently concluded harvest, and invoke a blessing for the new agricultural season. It is a community festival that weaves together faith, tradition, and rural identity, taking on a special significance in Casalgrasso thanks to the involvement of several neighboring municipalities.

The origins: from 1951 to today

Thanksgiving Day was born in 1951 from an idea by Paolo Bonomi, the historic founder of Coldiretti, and was soon embraced by the Italian Episcopal Conference, which included it in the liturgical calendar. Since then, every local section celebrates its own day, in autumn or early winter, according to local traditions. In Casalgrasso, the event typically falls in January and brings together the farming communities of an entire area of the Cuneo province.

A collective event across six municipalities

The unique feature of the Casalgrasso Thanksgiving Day is its inter-municipal dimension: farmers and mayors from six municipalities of the Savigliano area—Casalgrasso, Lombriasco, Racconigi, Savigliano, Marene, and Cavallerleone—participate in the festival. Around the altar and the blessed tractors, an entire portion of the Piedmontese countryside gathers, testifying to the ancient bond between the town and the land that nourishes it.

Faith, agricultural machinery, and conviviality

The heart of the day is the Holy Mass celebrated in the parish church of San Giovanni Battista, featuring the traditional offertory procession of products of the earth brought by the farmers themselves. At the end of the service, the evocative blessing of agricultural machinery takes place, with tractors and equipment lined up as symbols of daily work in the fields. The festival then continues with refreshments and a community lunch, moments of conviviality that strengthen the sense of belonging within the farming community.

Why it is worth attending

• Experience an authentic rural tradition, far from mass tourism circuits.
• Witness the scenic blessing of tractors and agricultural machinery.
• Discover the Savigliano area, a land of agriculture and the Po River, in the province of Cuneo.
• Participate in a community moment that unites six municipalities of Piedmont.

For those who want to discover the most genuine face of agricultural Piedmont, the Casalgrasso Thanksgiving Day is a precious opportunity to get closer to the traditions of the Cuneo countryside.