The Italian Town That Welcomes Winter With a Procession of Fire | Atlas Obscura
… Thousands of torches are assembled each year in preparation for the Ndocciata — but that doesn’t mean that entire forests are knocked down for the ritual. Torches are constructed out of white fir trees that are sick, dying, or were felled during winter storms. These are identified and marked by the National Forestry Corp in the spring, collected and dried in the summer, and assembled into 10-foot-tall conical torches in the fall. Dried branches of the Ginestra flower, which burn easily and brightly, are sandwiched between white fir logs. When lit, it produces a loud popping sound, a noise once believed to frighten off witches.
The procession begins in the town’s center when the bells of Agnone’s main church toll at 6 p.m. The first to appear are the figuranti, a group of women, very young children, and the elderly, who carry chickens, rabbits, and lambs in a physical manifestation of a manger scene. Then come the children, usually accompanied by their parents, who carry a single ndoccia, meaning “torch” in the local dialect. “This is one of the most fundamental aspects, because the tradition carries on when all ages participate, from the youngest to the oldest,” explains Meo. “There is almost certainly a future for this ritual because of this.” …
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