Feast of Our Lady of the Hens in Pagani
Four days after Easter of tammurriata drumming, courtyard shrines and a procession in which devotees offer hens to the Madonna
By Salvatore Giuliano Published Updated
The story
The unusual name comes from a 16th-century legend. A small painted wooden panel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the story goes, was kept in a church in the mountains of Tramonti until a flood swept it down into the valley. Years later, during the week after Easter, hens scratching about in a henhouse in Pagani uncovered it. From 1609 a series of miracles was attributed to the find, the first being the healing of a lame man, and a church was built on the spot; a bishop's visit in 1615 already described it as "noviter erecta", newly built.
Ever since, Our Lady of the Hens, the Madonna delle Galline, has been the town's patron alongside Saint Alphonsus Liguori. The image was solemnly crowned in 1787, and the shrine is still the heart of the feast, which opens on the Friday after Easter as its doors are thrown open. On Low Sunday the statue is carried in procession while the faithful offer it hens, ducks, doves, turkeys and even peacocks, in memory of the birds that found the panel. Outside the Basilica of Saint Alphonsus, the Redemptorist fathers present the Madonna with a pair of hens and receive two doves in return.
For four days the town moves to the beat of the tammurriata, the traditional Campanian music of frame drums and castanets. People play and dance in the toselli, small votive shrines that families set up in the courtyards of the old town with satin, lace and decorations, until at dawn on Monday the musicians lay their drums at the Madonna's feet. The feast is listed in the Campania Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and one tosello has entered the collections of the Museo delle Civiltà in Rome.
Schedule
- Friday after Easter: the doors of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Hens are opened and the tammurriata drumming and dancing begins in the toselli set up in the courtyards
- Low Sunday (Domenica in albis): the statue of the Madonna is carried in procession through Pagani, as devotees offer hens and other farmyard birds; gifts are exchanged with the Redemptorist fathers outside the Basilica of Saint Alphonsus, a solemn Mass is held in Piazza Corpo di Cristo and the statue returns to the shrine to the singing of the Magnificat
- Monday at dawn: the drummers bring their tammorre to the shrine and lay them at the Madonna's feet, closing the feast with the song "Madonna de la Grazia"
The official schedule for 2027 has not been published yet, so the dates shown are provisional. We will update this page as soon as the calendar is announced.
What to eat
The dish of the feast is tagliolini with ragù: tradition has it that whoever eats them ends up with a splash of sauce on their shirt, a "schizzetto" that's almost a badge of taking part.
During the feast, stuffed artichokes are roasted on the "furnacella", a small charcoal grill, alongside savory pies and the rustic Easter breads of Campania such as tortano and casatiello.
Local tips
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Parking
On procession Sunday the center of Pagani fills up and the procession route cuts across the streets: leave the car outside the center or, if you can, come by train, since the station is on the Naples–Battipaglia line. Before you go, check the town council's traffic orders.
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Payments
Bring some cash for small purchases at the stalls and around the toselli.
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Crowds and timing
The busiest moment is the Low Sunday procession, while the tammurriata in the toselli goes on late into the night. To see the drums being laid down, you need to be at the shrine at dawn on Monday. The 2027 schedule with times has not been published yet, so check it closer to the date.
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What to wear
Wear comfortable shoes for long hours on your feet and bring something warm for early-spring nights; in the shrine, dress as you would for any place of worship.
Weather forecast
Data: Open-Meteo
Getting there
The Shrine of Our Lady of the Hens is in the center of Pagani. The town has a station on the Naples–Battipaglia line and an exit on the A30 Caserta–Salerno motorway; Naples Airport is about 39 km away.
Things to do this weekend in Campania →
Frequently asked questions
When is the Feast of Our Lady of the Hens in 2027?
It runs from the Friday after Easter to the following Monday: in 2027 from 2 to 5 April, with the procession on Sunday 4 April, Low Sunday. The official schedule with times has not been published yet.
Why is it called "of the Hens"?
According to tradition, in the 16th century hens scratching in a henhouse uncovered a painted panel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. That's why during the procession devotees offer the Madonna hens and other farmyard birds.
What are the toselli?
They are small votive shrines set up by families in the courtyards of the old town, decorated with satin and lace. During the feast they become the setting for the tammurriata, the songs and dances played on the tammorra frame drum.
Is the feast free?
Yes: the procession, the services and the tammurriata in the toselli are all free to attend.