The Bonfires of Saint Anthony

The fire of Saint Anthony in the heart of the Baronia

On January 17th, the day dedicated to Saint Anthony the Abbot, Vallata renews one of the most deeply felt winter rituals of upper Irpinia: the lighting of bonfires in the town center. This is not a staged event, but a custom that the community of the municipality of Vallata, in the province of Avellino (Campania), has passed down from generation to generation. In the days leading up to the feast, wood is collected and stacked; then, as evening falls, the flames rise and the town gathers outdoors, despite the cold at an altitude of 855 meters.

"Li fauni": the dialect name of the tradition

In Vallata, the bonfires of Saint Anthony have a name all their own: "li fauni". It is a detail that speaks volumes about the vitality of this ritual: in every town in Irpinia, the fire of January 17th takes on a different name — carcare in Solofra, Quindici, and Cervinara, focaruni elsewhere — and the dialect word is proof that the tradition was never imported, but grew from within the community. Visitors will hear the locals speak of "li fauni" as an appointment that needs no flyers.

Saint Anthony the Abbot, protector of animals and the countryside

Saint Anthony the Abbot, a 4th-century Egyptian monk, is in the peasant imagination the patron saint of domestic animals, farmers, and shepherds, as well as the saint of fire. In a territory like the Baronia, historically dedicated to agriculture and pastoralism, his feast has never been a purely devotional event: the fire lit in mid-January symbolically served to "warm the earth" and hasten the return of spring, while in many localities of Irpinia, the day also includes the blessing of animals, stables, and livestock farms. The bonfire, in this interpretation, burns the old and opens the new agricultural year.

From the bonfire to the beginning of Carnival

In Vallata, "li fauni" also have a precise function in the calendar: they mark the beginning of Carnival. January 17th is the threshold beyond which the town enters the time of masquerades and pranks, according to a schedule that recurs throughout Irpinia and much of the South. This is why the evening around the fire does not have a somber tone: it is already a celebration, with the conviviality, chatter, and joy that accompany the celebrations for Saint Anthony the Abbot everywhere in Campania.

Vallata, a village in the green upper Irpinia

Vallata has just under 2,700 inhabitants in a territory of about 48 km², between the mountains of Trevico and the Formicoso, in the valleys of the Ufita and Calaggio, about 65 km from Avellino. The town is part of the Baronia, an inland area rich in water, woods, and pastures, and its traditional economy explains well the devotion to the saint of animals. The calendar of local festivals is very dense: the patron saint Saint Bartholomew the Apostle on August 24th, the solemn festivities in honor of Saint Anthony of Padua and Saint Vitus the Martyr from June 13th to 15th with the famous Procession of the Panelle, the Feast of the Mattinella with the pilgrimage on foot at the end of May, and the rites of Holy Week. "Li fauni" on January 17th open this long sequence of events.

What to expect during the evening

• The lighting of the bonfires in the town center at dusk on January 17th.
• The spontaneous gathering of the community around the fire, in a familiar and convivial atmosphere.
• A deeply popular, free, and outdoor ritual, without tickets or fences.
• The possibility to discover the cuisine of the Baronia: Caciocavallo Silano D.O.P., cuccitedd e gaddina (homemade pasta with hen sauce), and siffitt cu la cipodda (lamb sautéed with onions).

An appointment documented year after year

Those who want to get a concrete idea of the atmosphere can consult the photo reports that the independent website vallata.org regularly dedicates to the event: the galleries of January 17, 2024, January 17, 2025, and January 17, 2026 show the fire, the faces, and the winter landscape of the village. They are the most direct testimony of the continuity of a tradition that, without fanfare, endures in upper Irpinia.