It is the most awaited feast of Campobasso and one of the most original processions in Molise and in Italy: the ‘Mysteries’, sacred representations that parade on the Corpus Christi day. The devil and the damsel are certainly the most suggestive characters. Will the damsel be able to resist the devil’s temptations?

Campobasso is awaiting the procession of the ‘Mysteries’ which, as every year, will march on Corpus Christi Day, on Sunday June 23, 2019.
Thirteen processional structures or machines, called ‘ingegni’, which were created in the mid-18th century by the sculptor Saverio Paolo Di Zinno. The structures, representing various sacred themes, parade in procession through the historic center, carried by about 250 porters. The figurants seem to hover in the air.

The most evocative characters of this event are surely the devil and the damsel. The damsel must resist the temptations of the devil who shouts (in dialect) ‘tunzella tunzella, viétenne viétenne’, or ‘damsel damsel, come, come with me’.

There are many legends related to the damsel character. It is said that if the damsel resists the devil’s provocations, she will receive a cash prize. Will she be able to resist the devil’s temptations this year too?

Brunella Muttillo