| The first evidence of the town's devotion to St. Nicholas is an old tiny church located in the district of llice, today St. Nicholas'plain, whose traces remain in some papers of the Benedictine monastery of San Barbato, founded around 1015 in the territory of Pollutri. The event takes place on December 4-5-6. In Pollutri, it aslo found one of St Nicholas houses, used as headquarter of a brotherhood and part of the heritage connected to the Saint's great basilica in Bari. The first day the house is filled with people, bread is baked and the panicelle (loafs) are carefully arranged in the baskets. On the evening of the second day, the cooking of the beans starts in large boilers put on an outside fire all night long. The last day, the boiled beans, the panicelle and wine are distributed during the collection of alms. Another celebration of spring is the "Launch of Taralli" (local salted or sweet bagels), which starts on April 29 from the house of S. Nicholas, where the women are busy pacing previously cooked Taralli. Women coming out of ST. Nicholas house, begin to launch the bagels to the crowd, At the some time, from an another balcony also the pastor and a lady, throw some taralli, althougt in a different direction. The festival is in progress. Expression of charity are tangible, ad in the teachings of ST. Nicholas. |