Arboreal Rituals

Every year from 8th to 13th June the people of Rotonda celebrate the unique marriage “of the trees”, one of the most impressive arboreal rites in Basilicata, linked to an ancestral Lucanian tradition.

The “bride” (the “rocca”), and the “bridegroom” (the “l’a’ pitu”) are a fir and a beech, one uprooted from the woods of Terranova di Pollino, the other from Piano Pedarreto, among the beautiful scenery of the Pollino National Park.

In the days that follow, just as as a bride and groom would, the plants “meet”, and on their “wedding day”, as in most of the Basilicata arboreal rites, the secular festival merges with the sacred, with the procession of the Saint, Sant’Antonio, through the streets of the town.

Singing, dancing, and good food enliven the ritual, just as in any self-respecting “wedding”.