The festival of San Potito
The calendar feast of San Potito, the patron saint of Ascoli, takes place in midwinter (13 January) and is followed by a small carnivalesque festival which runs over several days. The main public festival of San Potito takes place in mid to late August. It is timed to coincide with the return of migrants from the town for summer holidays. During the festival the population triples in size. Historically there has been a degree of tension between religious
and civic aspects of the festival. In recent years the religious
celebrations, organised by the church and the San Potito Festival
Committee, have been overshadowed by the much larger civic festival
that follows. These municipal festivities include firework displays,
sports competitions, open air films, band recitals and operatic
performances. The final evening is marked by a lavishly expensive
pop concert in the town piazza. There is great rivalry among local
towns to attract well known national groups to their festival
concert.
In the past the winter festival placed strong emphasis on bonfires
and celebrated one of the most exotic local miracles associated
with San Potito - the revival of the flayed ass of a peasant.
This element has now been incorporated into the summer festival.
At the end of the main procession an effigy of the reconstituted
ass driven by fireworks circles the central piazza. As in the
original miracle, the skin has been replaced back to front.
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The costs of the festival are met in part by door-to-door collections
in which families are expected to contribute according to their
social status. Municipal and regional authorities provide the
rest of the funds.