The Sant’Andrea Feast in Amalfi

Author: Serena

The Sant’Andrea Feast takes place in Amalfi on the 27th of June and on the 30th of November.

Every year on the 30th of November Amalfi celebrates its Patron Saint: Sant’Andrea (Saint Andrew). According to the legend before becoming an Apostle, a Martyr and a Saint, he was just a humble fisher.
Amalfi celebrates this Saint also on the 27th of June because this is the anniversary of its miracle that saved the city from the pirates invasion.
All the local population is involved in the feast of the 30th of November when a miraculous event is used to occur every year: an oily substance called “Manna” comes out from the Sant’Andrea grave (where there are his memorabilia) placed in the Cathedral’s crypt. If this event doesn’t occur the inhabitants believe that their Patron Saint is angry with them or that something negative is about to happen.

This miracle is connected to the other Saint’s intervention happened on the 27th of June 1544 when Sant’Andrea touched off a storm to prevent the Barbarossa pirates from disembarking in the city to conquer it.
In the Cathedral’s crypt there are two statues of this Saint: the bronze one is shown here all the year long and the silver one is used during the so-called “Saint Andrew’s Run”.
From 1544 to commemorate this Saint’s miracles, in Amalfi there is, in fact, the organization of a big feast during which the Sant’Andrea silver statue (called “o’ viecchio” “the Old Man”) is brought into a procession through the urban streets by red dressed men belonging to specific religious groups.

The silver statue in the procession

Once that the procession is arrived on the beach the local fishers take the statue carrying it back to the cathedral running through the streets and on the monumental staircase of the church. This run is symbol of strength and faith. Once in the cathedral, in order to give thanks to the Saint, all the fishers offer to their patron fresh fishes or little wooden and iron fishes.

The procession on the monumental cathedral staircase

After this moment, the celebrations go on until night playing, singing and dancing. This feast ends with wonderful a fireworks show that lights the Amalfi sky.
Sant’Andrea is also the protector of all the fishers of the world.