The Giglio of San Rocco (Raising and Pulling of the Wheat Giglio)
Thirty meters of straw and wheat ears carried on shoulders by the entire town, between the raising on August 8th and the pulling on Ferragosto
About Giglio of Flumeri
A thirty-meter-tall wheat obelisk
There is a moment every year when Flumeri ceases to be a town of just under three thousand inhabitants in the hills of the Ufita Valley and becomes the stage for one of the most impressive collective rituals in Southern Italy. At the Campo del Giglio, along Via Olivieri, a wooden obelisk covered entirely in woven straw and wheat ears takes shape, standing about thirty meters tall and divided into seven decorative tiers. This is the Giglio of San Rocco: not a monument built by specialized craftsmen, but a votive offering that the entire community of Flumeri creates with their own hands.
A devotion from long ago
The cult of San Rocco has been linked to Flumeri since at least the 16th century, in a territory of the province of Avellino marked by famines, earthquakes, and epidemics, where the pilgrim saint was invoked as a healer and protector. However, the festival has even deeper roots in ancient agrarian harvest thanksgiving rituals: the wheat is not just a decorative material, but the very substance of the gift. Over time, individual ex-votos merged into a single great collective offering, which today takes the form of the Giglio pulled through the streets of the town.
Construction: weeks of shared work
The construction site opens in July. Teams from the various districts divide the tasks and work for weeks, often in the evenings after work, to create the straw panels that will cover the structure. Young people learn from the elders how to weave the ears, the colors, the geometric patterns, and the religious figures that make up each tier. There is no written blueprint: the technique is passed down through imitation, gesture by gesture, and it is precisely this oral transmission that makes the Giglio a living heritage rather than a mere tourist attraction.
The raising on August 8th
The obelisk is assembled horizontally and remains lying down until August 8th, when the raising takes place. Hundreds of carristi (float handlers) from all the districts gather around the structure and slowly lift it with ropes, ladders, poles, and pitchforks: no mechanical equipment, only human strength, experience, and coordination built up over generations. The operation takes several hours and is followed in silence, then with liberating applause from the whole town. When the Giglio finally stands vertical, brushing the sky above the rooftops of Flumeri, the religious and civil festivities officially begin.
The Ferragosto pulling
August 15th, the day of Santa Maria Assunta, brings the toughest test. After the blessing, the Giglio is unhooked and pulled from the Campo del Giglio to the churchyard of the church of San Rocco, in the historic center: this is the tirata (pulling). The ropes are held tight by young men and, according to tradition, by oxen; the weight of the structure, the need to keep it balanced along the ascent, and the heat of Ferragosto make the feat exhausting. For many young people in Flumeri, participating in the pulling has always been a rite of passage, proof of reaching maturity. Those who have emigrated return to town specifically for this day.
The patronal feast on August 16th
On August 16th, the community celebrates San Rocco: holy masses from the early hours of the morning, a solemn Eucharistic celebration in the afternoon, a procession with the statue of the saint through the streets of the town accompanied by a brass band, and finally, fireworks. Alongside the liturgical program, there is the civil one, organized by the Pro Loco La Spiga and the Festival Committee: the San Rocco Banquet on August 14th with traditional Irpinian dishes, comedy shows, live music, and concerts in the square.
An intangible heritage of Campania
The Wheat Giglio of Flumeri is listed among the elements of the intangible cultural heritage of the Campania Region and is part of the network of Wheat Festivals that brings together various communities in central-southern Italy committed to a path toward UNESCO recognition. A recognition that rewards not an object, but a collective know-how: that of a town that every summer rebuilds from scratch, and then delivers to time, its highest symbol.
Flumeri and the Irpinia to discover
The festival is also an opportunity to discover a less-traveled corner of inland Campania. Flumeri preserves the Aragonese Customs House, a 15th-century monument linked to transhumance and the ancient shepherd trails, now promoted by the Pro Loco with cultural initiatives throughout the year. Around it, the Ufita Valley offers agricultural landscapes, villages like Ariano Irpino, and a rustic cuisine of bread, cheeses, and Irpinian wines.
Giglio of Flumeri — edition 2026
The Giglio of Flumeri in summer 2026
In 2026, the Wheat Giglio of Flumeri returns to mark the month of August in the Ufita Valley, in the province of Avellino. The dates are the usual ones, linked to the liturgical calendar: August 8th for the raising, August 15th for the pulling on the day of Santa Maria Assunta, and August 16th for the feast of the patron saint, San Rocco.
As every year, the work begins much earlier: from July, the district teams meet at the Campo del Giglio to weave the ears and compose the seven decorative tiers that will cover the approximately thirty-meter-tall obelisk. It is an entirely manual construction, without a written blueprint, entrusted to the memory and experience of the most senior float handlers.
The appointment on Saturday, August 8th, 2026, is for the raising: hundreds of people lift the structure from horizontal to vertical with ropes, ladders, poles, and pitchforks, in an operation that requires several hours and the participation of the whole town. From that moment, the Giglio remains visible for a week, until the Ferragosto pulling.
Programme Giglio of Flumeri 2026
Saturday, August 8, 2026 — The raising of the Giglio
At the Campo del Giglio, at Via Olivieri 1, the float handlers from the districts lift the thirty-meter-tall straw and wheat obelisk, bringing it from a horizontal to a vertical position using ropes, ladders, poles, and pitchforks. The raising takes up the afternoon and concludes in the evening; it is traditionally followed by shows and live music organized by the Pro Loco La Spiga.
Friday, August 14, 2026 — Eve of the Assumption and San Rocco Banquet
A day of vigil with the Holy Rosary, Eucharistic celebration, and procession with the statue of the Assumption accompanied by a brass band, ending with fireworks. In the evening, the San Rocco Banquet is held, a convivial moment with traditional Irpinian dishes organized by the Pro Loco La Spiga with the support of the Municipality of Flumeri.
Saturday, August 15, 2026 — Santa Maria Assunta and the pulling of the Giglio
Holy masses in the morning and a solemn Eucharistic celebration in the afternoon, followed by the blessing and the pulling of the Giglio: the structure is dragged with ropes from the Campo del Giglio to the churchyard of the church of San Rocco, in the historic center. It is the most anticipated and strenuous moment of the entire festival.
Sunday, August 16, 2026 — Patronal feast of San Rocco
Holy masses from the early hours of the morning, a solemn Eucharistic celebration in the afternoon in honor of the patron saint, a procession with the statue of San Rocco through the streets of the town accompanied by a brass band, and final fireworks. In the evening, shows and music in Piazza San Rocco.
Note: as of the publication date of this sheet, the detailed 2026 program with final times, artist names, and guest lists has not yet been released. Official posters are published by the Pro Loco La Spiga, the Festival Committee, and the Parish in the weeks immediately preceding the festival.
Highlights Giglio of Flumeri 2026
- The raising on August 8th: thirty meters of obelisk lifted by sheer arm strength, without mechanical means
- The Ferragosto pulling: the Giglio dragged with ropes from the Campo del Giglio to the church of San Rocco
- The woven straw panels: seven decorative tiers created by the district teams starting in July
- The procession on August 16th with the statue of San Rocco, the brass band, and fireworks
- The San Rocco Banquet on August 14th, with traditional Irpinian peasant cuisine
- A ritual recognized as intangible heritage of Campania, included in the network of Wheat Festivals nominated for UNESCO recognition
Prices Giglio of Flumeri 2026
Practical information — Giglio of Flumeri
How to get there
Flumeri is located in the Ufita Valley, in the province of Avellino. By car: A16 Naples-Canosa motorway, exit Grottaminarda, then SS90 delle Puglie towards Ariano Irpino (about 15 km). From Naples, it is about 100 km; from Avellino, about 45 km. By train: the reference station is Grottaminarda-Ariano Irpino, connected by local bus lines; alternatively, scheduled buses from Avellino and Naples towards eastern Irpinia.
Where to follow the festival
The raising and construction of the Giglio take place at the Campo del Giglio, at Via Olivieri 1. The Ferragosto pulling starts from the Campo del Giglio and arrives at the churchyard of the church of San Rocco, in the center of the town: it is advisable to position yourself along the route well in advance. Processions, concerts, and shows are held in Piazza San Rocco and in the streets of the historic center.
Costs
Participation in the raising, the pulling, the processions, and the shows in the square is free. Only consumption at the food stands and the San Rocco Banquet are paid.
Practical tips
In August, the heat can be intense: bring water, a hat, and comfortable shoes, which are essential for following the pulling on foot along the ascent. The town is small and parking is limited; it is better to arrive early and leave your car outside the center. For accommodation, you can choose between farmhouses (agriturismi) in the Ufita Valley and facilities in Ariano Irpino and Grottaminarda. Updated information is available from the Pro Loco La Spiga ([email protected], tel. +39 339 8104962).
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Where does it take place — Giglio of Flumeri
Campo del Giglio
Via Olivieri 1, 83040 Flumeri