First Friday in March
Madonna Addolorata, Vernole, Lecce, Apulia, Italy, Acaya district
One first Friday in March long ago ("over a hundred years ago") a ship was wrecked in the Adriatic off southern Italy. After praying to the Sorrowful Madonna, some survivors made it through the marshes to the village of Acaya, now in the commune of Vernole, where they held a thanksgiving celebration. Ever since, people in this area break the solemnity of Lent, symbolized by the liturgical color purple, with a festa on this day in honor of the Madonna Addolorata, renamed the Matonna te li Pampasciuni after the small purple onions (lampasciuni) native to the area that are featured in dishes served during the feast.
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