To talk about the feast dedicated to the Holy Patriarch Saint Joseph in Poggioreale, we must first recall some aspects of the devotion in the old town, where it was deeply felt and fervently practiced. On the afternoon of March 18th, people would walk through the streets of the town to admire the altars that were set up. In the past, those who couldn’t afford to build an altar—since it was quite expensive—could make a vow to the saint by offering to walk barefoot through the town collecting donations. No one ever refused to give a contribution. These poorer families, with the money they collected, would then prepare an altar for the saint. Even these altars featured bread, fruit, laurel leaves, sweets—and of course, the traditional “squartucciati”.

Over the years, the number of “private” altars in the homes of devotees has significantly declined, and the reasons lie in the changing nature of everyday life. In the new Poggioreale, the altars are built by the local Pro Loco association in collaboration with Caritas, and there is also the altar set up in the Mother Church, where the whole community participates and everyone offers something.

With the goal of preserving this deep-rooted tradition, people now gather in groups and work together—several families joining forces to create the altars. Going back to the offering, the gift that characterizes the relationship with the Holy Patriarch, what was once a personal devotional act of individual families has now become a collective experience, one that unites the entire community in a shared gesture of faith and generosity. Some offer their labor and sacrifice, or money, others prepare the cucciddata for the Saints (this is the name given to the special form of Saint Joseph’s bread, weighing between 8 to 10 kilograms).

The Altar of Saint Joseph thus becomes a ritual space where the economy of the gift unfolds within a process of reciprocity, establishing a dialogue between the Saint and his devotees through their faith. Offering a meal, help, or any kind of contribution is seen as a way to receive grace and protection in return.

 

This element has been included in the Register of Intangible Heritage of local interest of the Municipality of Poggioreale, as part of Intervention 4: “Activation of the Observatory on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Territory through the application of the REIL methodology – Register of Intangible Heritage of Local Interest”, within the “Progetto di rigenerazione Poggioreale, vecchio e nuovo centro” project, funded by the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), Mission: Digitalisation, innovation, competitiveness, culture and tourism, Component: Tourism and culture 4.0, Investment 2.1 “Attractiveness of villages.” CUP: E44H22000040006.