The Feast of Saint Anne 2023
The 90th edition of the Sant'Anna Festival 26th July 2023
Photo: Tommaso Monti from La Repubblica
The History of Saint Anne Festival
Precisely 90 years ago, in 1932, a small group of friends decided to create an event that today is the Feast of Sant'Anna which is well-known all over the world.
In the years prior to 1932, some of the inhabitants of the village of Ischia Ponte, noticed that on July 26, many boats gathered near the Aragonese Castle
to recite prayers in front of the little church of Sant'Anna.
The religious rite was also accompanied by a rich dinner "at sea" with a typical Ischitan Styl based on a rabbit and local traditional recipes.
So that group of active Ischitans came up with the brilliant idea of creating a party in honor of this custom, the feast of Sant'Anna.
The feast was to be an opportunity to celebrate the saint, protector of women in labor, and to combine religious with allegorical celebrations by decoring boats for the party and organizing a light show (made at the time with only lamps) on the hills of Campagnano and Soronzano.
Photo: Enzo Rando from Ischia.it
What is it about
Since 1932 many things have changed but the feast of Sant'Anna still preserves its authentic spirit, a union of history, tradition, and folklore that makes it
truly unique.
Nowadays, the boats decorated for the occasion have been replaced by a parade of allegorical floats on the water competing each other telling stories based on the theme of the edition. The wagons are created and designed by associations of the island.
The festival itself will take place on July 26th starting at 9.00 pm in the Bay of Cartaromana but the festivities will last about the week and we advise you to consult the program below.
The narrative voice will tell about the parade of the allegorical boats at the end of which there will be the fireworks show and the spectacular show "Castle on fire".
Photo: Enzo Rando from La Repubblica
The program 2023
The program will be published as soon as available.
Useful article
La Repubblica articolo di Pasquale Raicaldo
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