That of ‘fogheraccia’ is a very ancient custom, a propitiatory rite for an abundant harvest, which is linked to the Roman calendar, according to which the year began in March, dedicated to Mars, god of agriculture, as well as of war .
This rite greeted the beginning of the agricultural year with the lighting of bonfires made of brushwood, straw and what remained of the previous year's crops together with dry branches deriving from pruning practiced in view of the summer.
Here in Romagna the preparation of ‘fogheracce’ has always been a ritual in itself: the peasants lit fires to burn the pruning while in the days before the anniversary, young people, children and the elderly, collected objects no longer used, old furniture, rags and piled them up to make bonfires. In Romagna they are traditionally called Focheracce or Fugarine di San Giuseppe, because they are held on the occasion of the feast of St. Joseph and of all fathers.
These were moments of village aggregation, as Fellini masterfully describes in "Amarcord", which are still alive in the soul of Rimini. As a matter of fact, every year, in the evening of March 18th, Rimini celebrates the feast with the traditional bonfires often accompanied by music, donut and mulled wine, without forgetting the typical piadina.
The biggest bonfire in Rimini is on the free beach in Marina Centro, near the canal port area. Here from the afternoon a market of various kinds animates the promenade with colorful stalls (from around 5 pm). Turning on of the fogheraccia at about 9 pm.