In Fragagnano (Taranto) the traditional appointment with the "Rite of the Saints" returns, now in its seventeenth edition with the subtitle "...History, Memory, Identity...". The long-awaited event, organized by Pro loco, will take place today, Saturday 16 March, at 19pm, in the Conference Room of Palazzo Marchesale, with free entry. The "Rite of the Saints" is part of the Year of Italian Roots in the World, an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism and ENIT to promote "Roots Tourism" in 2024. The aim is therefore to rediscover one's roots and the authenticity of places, factors capable of restoring traditions, culture and the construction of one's family history to the "returning tourist".
This year's edition enjoys the patronage of the President of the Regional Council of Puglia, of the Municipality of Fragagnano. It also enjoys the collaboration of the Department of Culture, in the person of Lucia Traetta, of the GAL Terre del Primitivo, of the Turismo delle Radici Taranto and province Association, of Unpli Puglia and of Salento delle Murge.
Tradition that is perpetuated from generation to generation
The "Rite of the Saints" is linked to pagan customs, but retains the value of a tradition that is perpetuated over time. As he explained Nunzia Digiacomo, president of the Pro loco Fragagnano: “In particular, the origins of this ritual are to be found in the ancestral rites of rural societies, linked to the cycle of death and rebirth of nature, in the Roman Saturnalia, in the tables that in the Middle Ages the feudal lords laid out for the poor and, again, in the liturgy handed down by the Basilian monks. The traditions of the Arbereshe communities and the Jewish communities who celebrated Tubishevàt, the New Year of the trees, with a meal of fifteen varieties of fruit should not be overlooked - concluded Digiacomo.
The representation
To represent the "Rite of the Saints", a sort of altar is set up around which three to thirteen people are arranged, in any case in odd numbers, thus recalling the Last Supper. After reciting a prayer, the Saints begin lunch. Saint Joseph sits at the head of the table. His place is marked by a flowered stick, symbol of the miracle thanks to which he was chosen to be Mary's husband. To the right of him sits the Madonna, to the left is Baby Jesus and all the others. Saint Joseph kicks off lunch by tapping his stick on the floor.
Then, tapping the fork on the edge of the plate, he marks the alternation of the thirteen dishes, all alluding to archaic apotropaic symbols. The table is rich, on which a prominent place is reserved for bread which, divided and consumed, is the symbol of the community, a vehicle of communication between individuals and of communion with the divine. The bucatini with bread crumbs, mass, chickpeas, beans and broad beans, cod, artichokes, fried cauliflowers, oranges and "li cartiddati" stand out. Unmissable are the lampascioni, the wild onions typical of local cuisine, and the fried fish. This year, the direction is handled by Alfredo Traversa, creator of the Teatro della Fede in Puglia.
(Photo: Pro Loco Fragagnano, Facebook Page)
