Macerata Campania: Sant’Antuono, Pastellessa and Local Culture

Macerata Campania combines an annual festival with a culture of music, games and food.

Sant’Antuono and the Pastellessa Tradition

The festival of Sant’Antuono, held in honour of Saint Anthony the Great, is celebrated in Macerata Campania every year on 17 January and on the days leading up to it. The fixed date in January gives the celebration a clear place in the annual cycle; the additional festival days take place beforehand.

During the festival, the Carri di Sant’Antuono move through the town’s streets. On these floats, the Battuglie di Pastellessa play barrels, tubs and sickles as percussion instruments; they are led by a Capobattuglia.

Each Battuglia di Pastellessa on the floats consists of at least 50 Bottari. The community of the Battuglie di Pastellessa was recognised by UNESCO in 2022 as a “Good Safeguarding Practice” within the framework of Tocatì. Since 2012, Macerata Campania has carried the designation “Paese della Pastellessa”; it recognises the municipality’s close connection with the tradition of the Battuglie di Pastellessa and the festival of Sant’Antuono. The UNESCO recognition concerns the community; the designation Paese della Pastellessa, on the other hand, concerns the municipality of Macerata Campania itself.

Games and Musical Customs

Traditional games are part of the intangible cultural heritage of Macerata Campania and are incorporated into the festival of Sant’Antuono. The game “Corsa con le botti” was reintroduced for the first time at the 2010 edition of the festival of Sant’Antuono in Macerata Campania. “Palo di sapone” and “albero della cuccagna” are names for a traditional game in which participants reach for prizes at the top of a pole.

The Pastellessa musical tradition is probably connected with fertility rites that mark the beginning of the annual cycle.

Past’e’lessa, Riffa and the Ecclesiastical Setting

The cuisine is also part of this cultural context: Past’e’lessa is a local dish made from pasta with cooked chestnuts, eaten during the festival of Sant’Antuono. The festival also includes a traditional Riffa in the early afternoon, an auction of material goods donated by worshippers during the Questua.

Another historical point of reference is the Chiesa San Marcello Martire. It is a parish church in Macerata Campania dating from the 16th to the 17th century.

Orientation for Planning Your Trip

For local transport connections, AIRCAMPANIA’s 02CE bus route is relevant. It connects Macerata Campania with Caserta, Recale, Capodrise, Marcianise, Portico and Santa Maria Capua Vetere. The 02CE is therefore a specific option for travelling between Macerata Campania and six other places along this route. When choosing a hotel in Macerata Campania, you can take both the town’s cultural focus and these connections into account in your personal travel planning, without combining the individual destinations into a shared area of experience.

For further destinations in your travel planning: Casagiove, Prata sannita, Piccilli, Teano, Caiazzo, Capodrise, San Tammaro and Pontelatone.

For the overarching travel overview: Caserta.