Polcenigo

Traditions

The Sagra dei Thèst 

In the center of Polcenigo, the first Sunday of September hosts an ancient and well-attended event, the Sagra dei Thést (meaning of the baskets), which was once held around the Santissima sanctuary as a market for simple wicker and reed objects for farmers' use. Alongside these products, and in a setting of shows and cultural events, the festival now also showcases artisanal and artistic productions, fruit, honey, cured meats, cheeses, and other delicacies, largely of local or regional production.

The most traditional of the festivals held in Polcenigo is undoubtedly the Sagra dei Thèst which has been taking place for more than three hundred years. Originally, it was a village fair held at the Santissima where farmers could purchase wicker containers (theston) for the grape harvest.

It was later moved to the center of Polcenigo where thousands of people gather every year to admire and purchase products made of wicker, reed, wood, ceramics, and leather and to relive the crafts of the past. The Proloco of Polcenigo plays a fundamental role in organizing the event.

In order to preserve the millenary art of weaving, the association has established a real school, with workshops and courses attended by enthusiasts of all ages.


The Nativity Scenes

The exhibition of the Nativity Scenes in Polcenigo is an event not to be missed during the Christmas season.

The nativity scenes, small and large, traditional or reinterpreted, simple and humble in the materials used, are true masterpieces, precious for the enthusiasm, inventiveness, and commitment of the people who worked on them.

Many feature typical costumes and settings using old photos, agricultural tools, and traditional objects, while ingenious mechanisms, light effects, and Christmas melodies create a magical atmosphere.

Visitors can easily follow the signs leading to the nativity scenes installed in the most characteristic corners of the village and meanwhile admire the historic center with its 15th, 16th, and 17th-century buildings, its old houses, courtyards, and gardens.

The nativity scenes can be visited from the second week of December to the second week of January.

A visit is recommended after sunset when the light effects make the atmosphere particularly evocative.

The Chestnut Festival

As autumn approaches, the village of Mezzomonte prepares for the Chestnut Festival, an event that highlights a region rich in history and natural beauty.

The valuable efforts of the local Pro Loco ensure a program full of events, conferences, games, shows, and exhibitions.

The chestnuts prepared with different recipes, always accompanied by excellent wines, are a delicacy not to be missed.

There are also stalls with typical products, homemade cakes, honey, traditional local hot dishes, and mulled wine.

Of great interest are the excursions along the paths that were once used to bring logs down to the valley and to transport hay, wood, and manure up and down the mountain with sleds (sguoithe or sloithe).

In August, during the Cyclamen Festival, Mezzomonte organizes a sled race, a team competition in which the winner is the one who manages to drag a sled loaded with hay bales to the finish line in the shortest time possible.

Santa Barbara in Coltura

A festive atmosphere welcomes visitors during the first week of December when Coltura celebrates Santa Barbara, the protector of artillerymen, miners, firefighters, and bomb disposal experts (December 4th).

In the church of San Lorenzo, the Holy Mass is celebrated followed by a procession through the streets of the village with the effigy of the Saint. There are games organized for children, a band, and stalls with mulled wine and local delicacies.

The Società Operaia di Mutuo Soccorso Santa Barbara plays a fundamental role in organizing the festival.

The association, founded in 1907 with the aim of helping families in difficulty, now has a new board and a statute more suited to the times.

Every year the association organizes a concert with classical music, Christmas songs, or traditional songs that has become an unmissable event.