Ver Sacrum

The founding myth of Bojano

Ver Sacrum is the reenactment that tells the legendary origins of Bojano, in the province of Campobasso, the ancient Bovaianom, capital of the Samnites Pentri. The name recalls the "Sacred Spring," the Italic ritual by which, in times of famine or danger, a generation of young people was consecrated to the gods and sent to found a new community, following a sacred animal: according to myth, it was an ox (in Latin bos, hence Bovaianom) that guided the founders to these lands.

A traveling scenic representation

Founded in 1999, the event is a traveling scenic representation that winds through the streets and squares of Bojano's center. Actors in period costume bring to life a procession divided into eleven scenic tableaux and four main sequences, illustrating the customs and traditions of the Samnite Pentri civilization.

The tableaux of the Samnite civilization

• The Sacrifice and the Council of Elders
• The Divination and the Migration of the Youth
• Opici and Sabelli, the Founding of Bovaianom
• The Legio Linteata and the Warriors' Oath
• Marriage, the Wise Old Man, Funeral Rites, and the Italic League

The event, organized by the Ver Sacrum Association, is a regular August fixture and one of the most identity-defining moments of the Samnite Molise, with a strong connection to the nearby Italic sanctuary of Pietrabbondante.