Festa della Madonna delle Grazie a Castelvetere

The Feast of Holy Mary of Graces is a religious event that takes place in Castelvetere sul Calore, every year, on 28 April, during the celebrations for the patron saint.

An ancient Marian celebration carried on for centuries, its preparation takes weeks and involves a large part of the town's inhabitants, as there are several stages in the preparation of the 28th April feast, ranging from gathering wood to baking and picking lilies. 

On the day of the feast, at the end of a religious ceremony, in fact, a number of girls aged between 8 and 12 walk through the streets of the town to deliver bread taralli, called tortani, which are prepared over several weeks, to every household in Castelvetere. These girls, called "dispensatrici" (dispensers) or, in the local dialect, "spunziatrici", precisely because they dispense the blessed bread through the town, wear long, loose-fitting dresses embroidered with gold, donated by the inhabitants themselves to each family of the girl as a sign of devotion, recalling in some ways how the statue of the Madonna in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie is dressed.

A religious tradition that brings together an entire community, the Feast of Holy Mary of Graces is one of the most characteristic devotional events in Irpinia.