Cerealia. La festa dei cereali. Cerere e il Mediterraneo

Cerealia is a festival dedicated to the history and importance of grains in all its forms. In ancient Rome, grains were celebrated in the rites of the Vestals and the Ludi of goddess Ceres. These antique rituals constitute the “Roman” element of the festival. Its international flavor derives from an emphasis on cultural exchange and enrichment and by focusing on a different country each year: 2011 – Egypt; 2012 – Turkey; 2013 – Greece; 2014 – Cyprus; 2015 – Croatzia; 2016 – Morocco; 2017 European Union – 60 years of the Treaty of Rome; 2018 Malta; 2019 Tunisia; 2020 special Covid-19 edition. 2021 special edition for the 10th anniversary of the festival.

The festival aims to encourage cooperation in addressing the common challenges facing nations bordering mare nostrum (the Mediterranean sea), to support societal rather than eurocentric positons in response to the “economic coevolution of diverse economies” (A. Romagnoli), and to foster respect for and to safeguard the Mediterranean ecosystem. Cerealia is an International festival which takes place in Italy every year starting on 9th June (the date of the ancient Vestal rites and the feast of pistores – the Roman bakers). The key themes are: Culture, Society, Economy, Nutrition and Gastronomy, Environment, Territory and Landscape, Tourism.

The festival is a participatory project which give value to the model of the sharing economy, with a special focus on sustainability. Programme includes performances, conferences and workshop, educational activities, tours, food tasting.

Topics of the 2022 edition will be: sowing the future: food education and environmental awareness of the young generation

Host country will be the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan