The Fançve – a grandiose celebration that lights up the night of the City of Caves
The Fanòve Festival is a spectacular event in which religious devotion and popular tradition blend to create an extraordinary event that lights up and warms the City of Caves on the night of January 11th.
During the centuries-old celebration of I Fanòve, grandiose piles of wood burn throughout the city, to commemorate the miracle granted by the Madonna della Vetrana who, in 1691, saved Castellana from the plague.
The commemoration of this prodigious event, confirmed and documented by historical sources, takes place through the lighting, on the night of January 11th of each year, of nearly 100 bonfires that burn throughout the city, strengthening year after year the close religious feeling that binds Castellana to its patron saint.
The warm, convivial atmosphere radiated by these majestic woodpiles creates an exceptional celebration where guests can enjoy traditional cuisine, folk songs, and the warmth of tradition, which draws thousands of visitors to our city year after year.
The 2016 edition is a special one due to the 325th anniversary of the miracle granted by the Madonna.
The week of January 10th to 17th will see a series of activities.
First and foremost, the Diana. On the night between Sunday, January 10th and Monday, January 11th, departing from Piazza Nicola e Costa at 3:00 a.m., the faithful, accompanied by the local town band, which plays an ancient folk song, perform the traditional collection, going to the local olive presses to collect oil to fuel, for the rest of the year, the votive lamp placed at the foot of the sacred effigy of the Madonna della Vetrana.
On the evening of January 10th, a historical reenactment of Castellana's miraculous deliverance from the plague will take place. The performance, performed by young local actors, will be an opportunity to retrace the events that, on that distant night in 1691, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, saved the city from the scourge of smallpox. This is a way to perpetuate our local history, which fits into the broader historical context of the late 600th century, masterfully chronicled by Alessandro Manzoni in Italy's greatest novel. It will leave a mark and help consolidate the memory of this event, which engages the entire community with vibrant fervor.
