Torchlight Night

Every December 24, Abbadia San Salvatore celebrates an ancient tradition, the "Night of the Torches." The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. with the Lighting Ceremony and the "Blessing of the Fire," when the "Torches," pyramid-shaped wood pyres up to seven meters high, are lit. The torches are then lit, repeating a very ancient ancestral fire ritual in which pagan and religious symbologies mix and mingle. The first torch to be lit is the one placed in front of the Town Hall, followed by the lighting of dozens more torches created in the historic center. The lights in the village are turned off and the streets are lit only by these torches that seem to dance in the darkness of the night. The celebration continues with Christmas carols and booths filled with local sweets and delicacies.