Carnevale Castelveterese

The Carnival of Castelvetere is a traditional event that takes place in Castelvetere sul Calore every year in the days leading up to Shrove Tuesday.

Considered to be the most artistic and renowned of the Carnivals of Irpinia and the Campania region, thanks to its papier-mâché floats, coordinated dance groups accompanied by music and floats, the unmissable tarantella and the individual masks that parade through the town, Castelvetere's carnival tradition finds its roots towards the end of the 17th century, in the craft rivalries between the town's two neighbourhoods, Castello and Pianura (known after the Second World War as Piazza and Via Roma), which challenged each other with floats prepared in secret locations. It was between the 1960s and 1970s, however, that the Carnival of Castelvetere reached its climax, enriched by numerous masked groups.

Today, the Shrove Tuesday celebrations begin with the feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot and last for three days, until the Sunday after Carnival day, immersing the town in a festive atmosphere rooted in the past and in craftsmanship. It is a tradition carried on with passion and dedication. There is still a vivid memory in the local community of an event that took place despite the bad weather: "It is said that once, during a Carnival in which it had snowed heavily, the whole population used shovels and "made all the snow disappear", and then paraded as if nothing had happened".

Folklore, fun and rediscovery of ancient traditions come together in the Carnival of Castelvetere, which celebrated its 50th edition in 2019.