Gildone Bread Festival, Gildone ties and traditions in the world

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Bread, an opportunity for a return to Molise

The bread festival, celebrated in honor of St. Anthony of Padua and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was born in the 1930s-thanks to midwife Amabile Tezzon, who arrived in Gildone in 1936 from the province of Rovigo and who, coming from the land of the Saint of Padua and being a devotee of St. Anthony, started the tradition of distributing bread to the needy in the town on the June 13 anniversary.

The woman would collect the offerings – of bread and flour – see to it that they were blessed and then distribute them to the people. Her house, in the days leading up to the feast, was transformed into a veritable “forge.” The young women of the village made wicker baskets in which the blessed bread was placed, which, adorned with the symbolic lily, were carried in procession through the streets of the village.

Even today, the feast day begins with the distribution of blessed bread through the streets of the town, accompanied by the sound of the brass band. This is followed by the procession and, finally, the Holy Mass. The women parade – carrying baskets of bread, which can weigh as much as 15 kilograms, on their heads – along with the thirteen monks, statues of saints and First Communion children.

The town center is adorned by theinfiorata made by local girls who engage in wildflower picking in the preceding days. At the close of the feast in honor of the saint, a large bonfire made by the boys who collected faggots and logs of wood is lit.

This is a very heartfelt event for the community that attracts all fellow countrymen residing in the various parts of the world (Canada, Belgium, Australia, Argentina, Switzerland and Germany), who feel they are an active and integral part of the festival and not mere visitors. For them, this event represents an opportunity to return to Italy in order to rediscover family affections and ties as well as renew the memory of the traditions, customs and typical and cultural customs of their native country to be preserved for future generations as well.