At the end of winter, for centuries in Romagna a shared gesture has been renewed: lighting great bonfires in the fields to welcome March and chase away the cold. A way to bring light to the new season, waiting for spring with the warmth of the community.
A fire that comes from afar
“Lòm a Merz” means exactly this: making light in March. It was the farmers’ way of welcoming the new season, burning pruning branches in the fields and, together with them, every past misfortune. A simple ritual, yet filled with hope: the higher the flames burned, the more people believed the farming year would be prosperous.
A night of community
Around those bonfires everyone would gather: men, women and children warming themselves, chatting and waiting for the flames to consume the winter. It was not just a fire: it was village life coming together, the feeling that spring was truly close.
The tradition today
Even today, across hills and plains, the “Lòm a Merz” still shine. Bonfires light up the Romagna countryside, bringing past and present together in a simple yet powerful celebration, scented with burning wood and hope.
