Pita Festival
The Pita Festival in Alessandria del Carretto (CS), an ancient arboreal rite of spring
Religious
http://www.comune.alessandriadelcarretto.cs.it/
Among the patron saint's festivities not to be missed, the Pita Festival in Alessandria del Carretto, a municipality in the province of Cosenza in the Pollino National Park, is truly unmissable.
The Pita Festival is held every year on 3 May, on the feast day of the patron saint, Saint Alexander, and represents a true rite of rebirth of nature, among the oldest in the Mediterranean.
It all begins on the second Sunday in April, when the community gathers in the Pollino forests for the ritual cutting of a fir tree about 20 metres high (pitë, in Alexandrian dialect). The chosen fir tree is then divided into trunk and top. On the last Sunday in April, it is carried by arm around the village, accompanied by instruments and popular songs; finally, on 3 May, the "pita" is reunited as "male" and "female" and is transformed into the cuccagna tree, consecrated to the saint.
The municipality of Alessandria del Carretto is no stranger to these arcane folkloric events. In fact, it is famous for another unmissable event, the Historical Carnival of Alessandria del Carretto.
