Visit to the Tablets of St. Joseph

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Visit the Tables of St. Joseph with Italea Puglia!

On Tuesday, March 18th, come to Minervino di Lecce and pparticipate with us in the ancient community rite. Follow the path of the “Itinerant Table” that crosses the village between churches, houses and palaces, discover the tradition of the 13 dishes and the moving rite of the “Saints” and taste the ritual dishes, meet the devotees, listen to family stories!

We will take you to discover a moving and still authentic tradition.

Bus travel from Lecce

4 > p.m. meeting of participants at Foro Boario

11 > p.m. return to Lecce

REGISTER HERE BY FILLING OUT THE FORM BY MARCH 14TH!

Participation fee + membership card: 28 euros (via PayPal, all details in the form)

for info

info@italeapuglia.com – 3886582298

Poster Visit to the Tables of St. Joseph

The Tradition of the Tables of St. Joseph

The tradition of the Tables of St. Joseph is a moving rarity that today you can experience in a small handful of villages scattered in different parts of Puglia, from the Lower to the Upper Salento to the Tarantino, and then again in Sicily, Abruzzo and Molise.

Where still present, the complex of rites dedicated to the saint is nevertheless guarded with authentic devotion and sincere participation by the locals.

Minervino di Lecce is undoubtedly one of the most active centers: here dozens of families commit themselves for entire weeks, in the period preceding the feast of March 19, to organize the Tables to be dedicated to the Saint.

The opening of the Tables, held on the evening of March 18, is a great community celebration.

From this moment, and for the following hours, the houses of the Minervinesi remain open to the devotees who make their pilgrimage to the Tables.

For some years, to allow everyone to participate in the Festival, the Municipality of Minervino has been taking care of the preparation of a traveling table through the streets of the town, a gastronomic journey through houses, churches and palaces, with refreshment points where you can taste a selection of ritual dishes and warm up in the warmth of a bonfire.

The ritual ends at noon on March 19, when domestic intimacy returns to the forefront. In fact, this is the moment when devotees and onlookers take leave to allow the ritual meal of the Saints, who present themselves at the Table from a minimum of three (St. Joseph, the Virgin and the Child Jesus) to a maximum of thirteen, always strictly in odd numbers.

Only the Saints are allowed to consume the dishes prepared with care and set up with wonderful floral decorations: the devotional sacrifice requires that the host family does not touch even a crumb of what is prepared, and that what remains is entirely donated to others.

Once upon a time, the invitation to impersonate the characters of faith was addressed to fellow villagers of the humblest conditions: in the poor peasant world, eating at this sacred table was in fact also a rare opportunity to satiate oneself with a hearty meal. Today, however, we tend to choose above all the closest friends and relatives of the family, and often even children, to give them the opportunity to get to know the ritual up close and become passionate about it.

The 13 dishes for St. Joseph

But what dishes can you find on St. Joseph’s Table?

“St. Joseph requires work” is said in the villages that still carry on this tradition: it is not enough to richly baste the table, it is necessary to gather with family or friends, roll up your sleeves and put your hands in the dough, to prepare elaborate delicacies that only in this way – through the sacrifice of work and time dedicated to the saint – will be worthy of the rite of devotion.

Among the dishes that cannot be missing on every table is the bread of St. Joseph: large “donuts” rigorously marked with the iconographic attributes of the saints who will “come to visit” the Table.

Another great “must” of the tradition is the massa, a homemade pasta in the shape of short tagliatelle seasoned with chickpeas (but there is also a sweet version, with honey and cinnamon).

Or again, lampascioni (seasonal vegetables very popular in these parts, cooked and preserved in oil), fried fish, broad bean puree, pittule. The rule requires thirteen dishes to be prepared for each saint who visits the Table (for a total of 169 dishes): even today many families respect the rigor of tradition, others prepare only a few ritual dishes.

Live this moving community ritual with us! We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, March 18th.