La Madonna delle Galline

Sabina Cuneo-Photographer, Rome, Italy

Abstract

The celebration of the Madonnna delle Galline (Hen Madonna) at Pagani, a little town at the foot of the Vesuvius, is characterized by the “Tammurriate” and the huge offer of hens to the Virgin. It begins the Friday after Easter with the opening of the sanctuary and the “tammurriate” – music, songs and dances cadenced by hand drums and by castanets. It goes on the whole Sunday with a very long procession during which hens and birds are given to the Virgin, as well as votive bread and dresses, accompanied by a continuous throw of petals and outbursts of crackers. In the afternoon the “tammurriate “start again in the gardens of the town and they carry on for all night at a private altar and finish by dawn with a procession to the sanctuary for the last farewell song to the Virgin and the offering of two white doves and some musical instruments as well on the altar. The festival was documented in 1999.

Keywords

Madonna delle galline, festa, rito, musica tradizionale, animali