A Fara Filiorum Petri(LaFarë in local dialect), a center at the gateway to Majella National Park in the valley of the Foro River, St. Anthony is celebrated in January with “farchie.”
At sunset, on January 16 each year, for the traditional feast of St. Anthony Abbot, the tops of farchie, cylindrical bundles of reeds tied with red willow branches, up to 10 meters high, are raised and set on fire with firecrackers. Like large flashlights, with flames fluttering overhead they dye the sky fiery red , giving the public a unique spectacle enveloped in a magical atmosphere.
This folkloric festival originates from the belief that the saint would protect Fara from the invasion of French troops in 1799 by setting fire to the oak trees surrounding the village. At the time, Fara was protected by a large oak grove in which St. Anthony appeared in the guise of a general who ordered the French troops to stop and not to cross the forest. At their refusal he turned the trees into immense flames that made the soldiers beat a retreat.
But the Farchie are not just folklore, they are something more, something deeper, where collaboration and community spirit take on great importance. The Farchie are lived night and day for a week in every district of the village. The farmyards, clearings or glades are designated for their preparation although, to prevent the reeds from getting wet, they are protected by stands or tarpaulins.
The preparation takes about a year: between the end of winter and the beginning of spring the reeds are harvested and left to dry whilewaiting for the new year; in December then the red willows are pruned and the largest and youngest branches are harvested to be used to tie the reeds with a special knot that requires a lot of strength, which is essential to ensure the beauty and stability of the bundle. As early as early January, the 15 contrade of Fara each prepare their own farchia, and the women, in addition to assisting the men, cook traditional Abruzzo dishes. The whole festival is centered on hospitality, so there is absolutely no charge. Once completed, on January 16, they are transported to the square in front of the church of St. Anthony Abbot by decorated tractors. An organplayer also known as a “trevucette” straddles the farchia while a drummer leads the procession; at the end of the route, the contradaioli unload it by placing it on the ground and at the command of the head of the contrada, they raise it and at sunset it is lit.
At the end of the festivities, the best farchia is recognized. According to the participants, technical perfection comes to light only after it has been raised. Verticality, the right alignment of the knots, and the correct arrangement of the rods to avoid bulging or twisting are the main requirements of right mastery in farchia construction, put in relation to their size.
A dialect stornello proudly recalls the events of 1799, when the small town repelled the assault of the revolutionary army that had already taken all the surrounding towns:
“La Huardie l’huardie l’han brusciate
Ursogne svreugnate
La Fare tante strate
Ha ammazzate lu picchette”
(The French burned Guardiagrele, conquered Orsogna without a fight while Fara tanto piccola killed the picket).
