Sant’Antonio Abate, the protector of domestic animals, is often depicted with a little bell around its neck and a pig at his side. The beloved Saint is celebrated in Posta on January 17 or the following Sunday with numerous rituals from the peasant tradition of this village in Sabina.
The Feast of Sant’Antonio Abate in Posta
The tradition originated in the nineteenth century with the creation of the “Confraternita di Sant’Antonio”, which preserves and passes on the traditional religious and civil rites in honour of the Saint. The highlights of the event are the cutting and the parade of the logs, or stanghe, the firelighting, the festival of the zampetti, and the distribution of Polenta.
The Feast of Sant’Antonio Abate in Posta
The symbolic traditional cutting of the logs, or stanghe, the initial moment of the feast, takes place in September. The members of the “Confraternita di Sant’Antonio”, in honour of the saint, enthusiastically work for an entire day in the woods around Posta in spiritual and fraternal cooperation.
The day before the Feast of Sant’Antonio, the brothers light a large bonfire in the central square of Posta using the waste wood from the logs, a ritual that brings everyone together. The embers, burning for two days, are the reference and meeting point throughout the celebration.
The Parade of the Logs dragged by animals is the centrepiece of the Feast, an extremely suggestive and engaging ritual tradition, which begins with the cutting of the logs early in the morning. The animals, well-groomed and adorned with colourful accessories and harnesses, gather at the gates of Posta. Once, only cows and oxen participated in the procession, but today horses, mules and donkeys also parade, each one pulling a log. 
From the meeting point, the parade, accompanied by the musical band, slowly proceeds along the main street of Posta. Welcomed by two anxiously waiting wings of crowd, the animals are blessed by the parish priest and finally reach the Church of Sant’Antonio. 
Children on horseback and crowds of people accompany the scenographic procession, an evocative ritual of the past, which recalls the authenticity of an archaic peasant world.
The Panonta with pork in Sant’Antonio Abate – Pro Loco Posta
At the Festival, good wine and typical dishes can be enjoyed, such as the panonta (stuffed bread greased in the bacon fried oil), ember-roasted sausages, polenta and zampetti. This last speciality is prepared by the brothers of the confraternity according to an ancient recipe. The pork shins are long boiled and then seasoned with a spicy sauce of garlic, oil, vinegar, parsley, capers and anchovies.
The zampetti are served in the square of Posta the evening before the festival, after the lighting of the fire, while polenta can be tasted the morning after the parade by the Church of Sant’Antonio. The origins of the polenta, prepared by the historic family Bosi from Posta, are linked to the rite of the stanghe. The brothers loggers, returning to the village, used to stop at the the Bosi family for a plate of polenta to refresh themselves after the hard work. 
Over time, this offering has been extended to all the participants to the event, a moment of connection to the rich traditions of the past.