Traditional Rogation on the Asiago Plateau - 20 May 2023 - 06.00 a.m.

PLEASE NOTE: This is the event related to the Great Rogation of 2023. To see this year's, click on GREAT ROGATION OF ASIAGO 2026.

An ancient and heartfelt rite returns to Asiago, that of the Great Rogation.

As per tradition, the "Around the World", as it is called by the Highlands, will take place on the Saturday before Ascension Sunday, which this year is May 20th.

WHAT IS THE GREAT ROGATION OF ASIAGO?

It is a religious procession that the inhabitants of the area have been repeating for centuries along a path that winds through the parish territory of Asiago through pastures and paths for 33 km. 

The Rogation of Asiago is an event open to all those who want to share it with us.  It is good to know, however, that it is not a tourist event or a walk, but a journey of faith and a tradition to which our Plateau is very linked, and in this spirit it should be addressed.

Originally, the Rogation had a propitiatory function, that is, it was carried out for the hope of a good harvest. In the 17th century, following a plague epidemic, this procession was transformed into a rite of thanksgiving by the population who escaped the plague. Even today, the Crucifix precedes pilgrims who cannot pass it or turn their backs on it to retrace their steps.

THE PATH OF THE GREAT ROGATION

The path to be taken is always the same and with the same stages. We leave on foot all together at 6 in the morning in front of the Cathedral of Asiago and proceed in the direction of the Lazzaretto, where we make the first stop for the celebration of the holy mass officiated by all the parish priests of the Seven Municipalities. 
After the service, we still entertain ourselves at the Lazzaretto until mid-morning for a first packed snack. It is here that the girls donate the characteristic hand-painted hard-boiled eggs to the boys from whom they in turn received the traditional terracotta "cuco" on April 25, the day of St. Mark and the feast of the Cuchi (traditional colored terracotta "whistles").

From the Lazzaretto we leave in increasing numbers towards Kaberlaba, then Canove, up to Camporovere, where we arrive at about 1 pm and stop again to rest and for a packed lunch.

Around 2.30 p.m. we resume the journey even more numerous. In fact, during the route the participants, including many tourists, continue to increase. The songs sung in chorus by the pilgrims accompany their journey along paths that cross meadows yellowed by dandelion flowers, lush forests and landscapes of immeasurable beauty. After a few kilometers you face the most challenging climb, that of Mount Katz, also known as "Bi" for the particular shape of the path that runs through it that recalls precisely this letter of the alphabet.

Descending from Mount "Bi", continue to the Rigoni di Sotto district and from here towards the Gallio wood, where a last stop is made. Here the boys reciprocate the gift of colored eggs received from the girls with crowns of pine twigs intertwined with flowers collected in the last stretch of the route.

Finally, after 13 hours of walking, you reach, accompanied by the festive ringing of the bells, back to the starting point, the Cathedral of Asiago, where the Great Rogation closes with a solemn mass. 

The tiredness is great but it is certainly well rewarded by the satisfaction of having lived such an intense and exciting experience.