Between August 14 and 22, the Madonna of Canneto is celebrated with processions between the sanctuary and the springs of the river Melfa. The festival is also called the "Festival of the Four Regions and the Hundred Towns".
The procession starts from the church of Santo Stefano, where the statue of the Madonna Bianca is kept to take the statue and put it on the procession carriage.
The faithful cross the town to go to the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie where the Madonna is dressed in pilgrims’ clothes. The procession then goes to the Canneto valley to meet the Black Madonna.
On August 22, the statue then returns to the Church of Santo Stefano.
The Scottish Benedictine father, Beda, in 1894, described the procession that is still held today in the same way. The monk was visiting Montecassino and he heard the songs come from the valley. Curious, he asked what they were and was told: "The Societies that go to the Feast of Our Lady of Canneto!".
He decided to follow the songs, and then the people, and keep a travel diary of the walk.
From his records we have a precise description of the ceremony that occurs each year according to the same rituals.
Every year about 120-130 ‘Compagnie’ (Societies), each of which consists of between 50 and 500 people, coming from 4 regions (Lazio, Abruzzo, Campania and Molise) on foot to pay homage to Our Lady.
On August 21, the Societies arrived at dawn and completed 3 laps around the church (today they only do one) and entered the church on their knees. In the past, he who had many sins to be forgiven, he also stuck his tongue on the floor.
From Settefrati the procession begins on August 18 and carrying the heavy statue of the Madonna Bianca with a walk lasting 3-4 hours.
At the Shrine, the White Madonna of Settefrati and the Black Madonna of Canetto meet but only for a few minutes, because two Madonnas cannot stay at the same place at the same time. Then, the White Madonna is taken to the Sacristy where she remains until the day of the feast.
On August 22, the White Madonna leaves the Shrine to 'go back' to not give up and return to Settefrati where she is welcomed by great fireworks and a party.
The tradition of spectacular fireworks, attracting other tourists, was already described in a book by Achille Lauri of 1910. At the same time, the Festival of 'Sagne with beans' takes place.
Rite of Comparanza
During the festival, but also at other times of the year, the unions of Comparanza were celebrated, that is, when people became 'Compari' (blood brother), a term that is still used in Italian with many different meanings.
The presence of many people from different places allowed meetings and the birth of new friendships.
When these friendships became deeper, then the rite of the Comparanza was celebrated, which provided for the union of the two small fingers of people that they immersed in the cold waters of Melfa for the duration of 3 ‘Our Fathers’, 3 ‘Ave Maria’ and 3 ‘Gloria’.
At the end of the prayers each one takes a stone from the bottom of the water and with this he makes a sign of the cross on the forehead of the 'compare'.
Then they kiss hands swapping the stones. With this ceremony, there is a stronger bond than that of friendship.
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