Every year, on the last Saturday in April, Santa Croce di Magliano comes alive for the traditional blessing of the animals in honor of Our Lady of the Crowned Mountain. It is an event that combines faith and peasant culture, celebrating the rebirth of spring with flocks of sheep, goats, cows and horses invading the streets of the town.
The origins of this tradition are uncertain, but a link with transhumance and the cult of the Crowned Virgin, much venerated at the shrine in Foggia, a pilgrimage destination, is speculated. In the past, on the evening of the last Friday in April, Santacrocesi pilgrims returning from the shrine of Our Lady of Volturara would make three laps around the Church of St. James, a rite that evoked the route of the transhumant shepherds who had come to the village.
Preparations begin days before the celebration: farmers wash and adorn the livestock as the community prepares for the event. On the day of the celebration, the animals parade down the streets to the church, where, following tradition, they make three laps around the building before the priest gives the blessing.
The crowd, gathered in the square and along the route, admires the animals adorned with colorful bows and ribbons, contributing to an atmosphere of celebration and devotion. After the blessing, the solemn procession of the statue of Our Lady of Kornati takes place, preceded by a group of horsemen.
An additional tradition is represented by some of the knights wearing on their shoulders the “braid,” a typical local dairy product, which is then shared with friends and relatives at the end of the celebration.
This unique event is an important testimony to the cultural identity of the village, uniting the sacred and the profane in a ritual that has been handed down for generations.