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Gargano is rich of feasts and festivals linked to religion but having roots in a period more ancient than Christianity, when the goddess Demetra was invoked to have a good harvest or when in honor of Mars propitiatory rites were celebrated to have protection during the battles. Today all this is turned into suggestive and fascinating feasts and festivals, only vehicle of transmission of ancient traditions. For people who wants to discover Gargano in its essence, these events are the right chance to have a break characterized by relax and discovery of the local traditions.

Ponte Hotel waits for you, for long or short weekend, during the following patronal feasts:

S. George: He is celebrated on April 23rd with musical bands and procession along the streets of the town, omelet festival, an afternoon horse race, an evening musical concert and pyrotechnic fires in the sea. The celebrations start from the day before.

S. Valentine: celebrated on February 14th He is the Protector of Vico del Gargano, a small town that is half an hour away by car from Vieste. His feast is unique in its kind since besides the traditional procession, the whole town, the Church and the statue of the Saint, are decorated with citruses, oranges and lemons, those are one of the primary resources of the place. For the most romantics Vico offers the "Alley of kiss", a narrow alley where, according to the tradition, those who kiss each other under it, stay together forever….or the "Juice of the love", a sort of natural magic potion(orange juice), that induces the person that drinks it to fall in love with the person who has given it.

S. Anthony: He is celebrated on June 13rd and the feast starts with an early-morning mass at the end of which some blessed bread is distributed. The rest of the day is dedicated to the religious procession of the Saint with some musical bands along the streets of the city. The evening there is a a famous artist concert. The feast ends with pyrotechnic fires.

S. Maria of Merino: She is celebrated on May 9th with a religious procession that starts from the town to reach, after 7 Km, the small country church of Merino. All local people spend all day here, praying and having a picnic next the Church. Very suggestive it is the evening torchlight procession with which the statue of Madonna is brought back to Vieste. Since it's the most important feast, the celebrations last many days: they start on May 7th with sporting, musical and cultural exhibitions those involve adults and children, to end the evening of 10th with the concert of a very famous artist and the extraordinary pyrotechnic fires.

S. Michael, protector of Gargano: He is celebrated on September 29th but the cult it is more ancient and involves all the towns of Gargano. At two o'clock in the morning a caravan of buses leaves to Monte S. Angelo (60 Km). After about 20 Km the pilgrims are left by the buses and they continue the run up to Monte by foot and following an ancient medieval path, that for centuries had been crossing by the devotees of S. Michael, called "Sammichelari.".
The event is very suggestive since the run crosses, for a good part, Umbra Forest.

S. Maria Stella Maris: She is celebrated the first weekend of September and since She is the protectress of the fishermen, the statue is brought in procession in the sea by fishing boats. The local fishermen let everybody go up on their boats . The feast is around port of Vieste where the Fish festival is also held, while a musical concert and pyrotechnic fires end the celebrations.

Christmas time: Visiting Vieste during Christmas time is a great suggestion. All the shops of historical center in fact, give hospitality to Christmas cribs; the event is called "Every stall is a Star" . It consists of preparation of many Christmas cribs in the whole historical Center, in those premises those once were real stalls and that today instead, in the summer period, are artisan shops. Even if it's not an official competition, associations, schools and individuals try to prepare of the most beautiful Christmas crib.
The atmosphere is made even more suggestive from the pipers and from the Christmas sweets festival, that the Town Council of Vieste offers to all the participants.