Notte di San Rocco a Torrepaduli

Editorial Staff 25 May 2022

On the night of Ferragosto in Torrepaduli, a hamlet of Ruffano, celebrations are held in honor of San Rocco, and that night has a magical and ancestral flavor. In the sanctuary, the devotees of San Rocco ask him for grace or with ex voto they thank him for the miracle received.

Prayers and litanies are recited all night, the wooden statue of the Saint is kissed and caressed. A statue that represents a young pilgrim, with a little dog at his feet that licks the wounds on his leg, caused by the plague. The procession of the faithful lasts all night, without interruption, while outside the chapel, an archaic and suggestive show rages. To the syncopated rhythm of tambourines, men challenge each other in a “knife dance”.

The dance begins, or rather the knives are sharpened, at 11 pm, and the challenges and duels continue until 5 am. The knives are not real, they are used with hands that mimic the rapid and sharp gesture of the blades. But in the beginning they were real knives. The challenge took place between the Roma communities that were competing for territory and business.

In Torrepaduli, a rustic duel is staged every year between the clans of the area, especially the Rom, and in the past it really happened to compete for territorial supremacy. According to some testimonies, throughout the year the various Rom clans trained in secret places so that during the final phase of the duel they entered into such a rhythmic harmony with the drum as to better refine the final thrusts, even with deadly thrusts. After all, San Rocco had been a French knight and therefore a swordsman, who died in Pisa accused of espionage…