There are such powerful and suggestive Christmas traditions that are difficult to describe. Those related to fire have an even more disruptive charm.
In Molise, on Christmas Eve, very particular traditions recur, real fire rituals based on the preparation of huge torches, carried in procession through the streets.

In the province of Isernia, in Agnone, there is the ‘Ndocciata, a parade of huge torches of fire (in dialect ‘ndocce, from which the term ‘ndocciata derives), which in 2011 was recognized as ‘Heritage of Italy for tradition’.
In the province of Campobasso, in Oratino, the Faglia is held, a parade of only one huge torch, over a meter in diameter and about 13 meters high. The weight is around 30 quintals, carried by fifty porters.

An unforgettable show.

Brunella Muttillo

Opening photo: ‘Ndocciata in Agnone (Isernia) (from www.ndocciataagnone.it)