Feast of Our Blessed Mother in Bivongi

The bond that Bivongi, in the Stilaro Valley, has with the Madonna is so strong that she is called Mamma Nostra here, and the feast dedicated to her is replicated at two different times of the year, one in September and one in February. In September, the feast lasts three days, from Friday to Sunday of the second week of the month, although prayers in preparation for the event begin nine days earlier. In February, the date is set for the 5th of the month, the anniversary of the first tremors of the earthquake that devastated Calabria in 1783. Bivongi was miraculously spared, and Mamma Nostra herself is thanked for this. The winter festival is more restrained than the September one, more pompous and articulate, but there are many points in common: both are preceded by nine days of prayer (the Novena), heralded by the firing of firecrackers on the first day; both involve the display of the painting and statue of Mamma Nostra, and it is the statue itself that is carried in procession. Accompanying the events are marching bands and a festival. What is the most beautiful element? Seeing people who have gone to live elsewhere, return to Bivongi because this feast you just can't miss. It's a bit like Our Lady is an integral part of all the family gatherings in town, an atmosphere of affection and warmth that is hard to describe, you have to experience it to fully understand it...would you like to come?