Pagan feast of Marzella
Pagan feast of Marzella

Roviano. Pagan feast of Marzella

The first week of June the feast of Marzella is celebrated in Roviano, which in dialect a means a turgid and well-developed asparagus, an exuberant symbol of youthful virility.

After dinner, between singing and wine, a procession is held through the streets of the town with a big "stennardina", statuette of "Fra Marzella", dance of the puppets and finally fireworks.

The festival has assumed clearly licentious and outrageous characters, marked with joke and merriment, a ceremonial and a phallic ritual that recalls the pagan cults and pleasantness.


Written by:
Benedicta Lee

Born in Rome from an Italian mother and American father, she works as a freelance communications manager and designer in the tourism sector, a career and interest which she is pursuing with a...

Recommended

Subscribe to Newsletter

Discover a territory through the emotions of the people that have lived it.