Festa di Santa Maria della Neve a Casalbore

The Feast of Saint Mary of the Snow is a religious event held in Casalbore on 5 August, the feast day of the local community's patron saint.

The cult of Our Lady of the Snow has its origins in the early centuries of the Church and is linked, in particular, to a legend according to which a rich Roman nobleman and his wife, in order to have children, offered their possessions to the Madonna for the construction of a place of worship dedicated to her. The Virgin Mary then performed a miracle, making the couple's wish possible and making it snow in August on the site where she wanted the church to be built. Thus, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major) in Rome was built and the cult of Saint Mary of the Snow spread to many other places.

The celebrations in honour of the patron saint of Casalbore are deeply heartfelt by its inhabitants and, already in the last week of July, are preceded by various religious rituals. On 5 August, on the feast day, there is first a procession and then a Eucharistic con-celebration, at the end of which there is an act of consecration of the community to Our Lady of the Snow.

A religious tradition that has been handed down for centuries, the Feast of Saint Mary of the Snow brings together the entire local population, also attracting Casalbore emigrants during the summer.