Propaggini History

The birth of the rite of the Propaggini and therefore of the Carnival of Putignano, dates back to 1394, the year of the transfer of the relic of Saint Stephen from the abbey of the same name in Monopoli to Putignano.

 

In the medieval period, in fact, the feudal lords of Putignano resided in the abbey of Santo Stefano, still inhabited today, i.e. in chronological order first the Benedictines and then, from 1317 onwards, the Knights of the Gerosolimitano Order, which became after the conquest of Jerusalem by the Saracens, Order of the Knights of Malta.

 

The precious reliquary with part of the skull of Saint Stephen was kept in this Abbey. The relics of the saint were transferred in 1394 to the Church of S. Maria la Greca in Putignano to defend it from any incursions by pirates or Saracens, possible due to the abbey's outlook towards the sea.

 

During the transfer of the relics, the peasants of Putignano, who at that time were intent on making the offshoots of the vines, that is to bury the shoots without cutting them from the mother-plant to give life to a new plant, queued to the procession of the Knights and once they arrived in the village they improvised songs and dances for the joy of having the protection of a saint on site. Since then, the feast of Santo Stefano and the rite of the Propaggini have been celebrated on the same day, December 26th.