Ferragosto
On August 15th, the central square with the ancient church dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, the Patron Saint, the traditional procession and the celebrations with shows and fireworks are the protagonists of civil and religious celebrations in a highly anticipated annual event. Ferragosto is the most heartfelt religious holiday of the year and on 15 August the Church of the Assumption welcomes devotees of Montese origin who from all over the world return home to pay homage to the Patroness, and fill the streets in the procession that accompanies the statue of the Madonna carried on the shoulders by the Bearers of the Madonna. A ritual that begins early in the morning and has its epilogue after noon in the square, with the last prayer sung to the Patroness raised on the stage: the traditional hymn to Our Lady of the Assumption of Monte di Procida, sung not only by musicians but above all by all thousands of people present. Even more than at Christmas, in Monte di Procida Ferragosto is the family party par excellence. This is an identity character still preserved by a population of travelers: mariners who have always been involved in long-term voyages, restaurateurs and entrepreneurs in particular in the United States. From the end of the nineteenth century to today, the community of Montesi residing abroad and their descendants has gradually become more numerous, but from generation to generation the sharing of the celebrations of August 15th in Monte di Procida is transmitted and remains strong, a moment in which the whole community is united in a single ancestral devotion.
