The inhabitants of Aeclanum worshipped the goddess Pale because she was the goddess of grain, generously produced by that land. To thank for the completed harvest and to ask for future protection, the farmers offered the deity their carts overflowing with hay and straw. They could thus hope for a mild and favorable winter.
The very heavy carts were pulled by three pairs of oxen yoked together, who with immense effort dragged these “ex-votos” from the granaries built in the countryside to the place of worship of the goddess. The fodder offered by all the farmers was then collected and combined, forming a huge sheaf which was set on fire amid dances and songs. Over time, that cart full of grain was transformed into a gigantic obelisk, clearly evoking ancient propitiatory rites, and instead of oxen there is now a tractor pulling its trailer loaded with hope.
Until a few years ago, the three pairs of oxen were still used to transport the work. The strongest animals were chosen to pull the cart, and for the occasion they were decorated with ribbons and rosettes. But those beasts were inevitably destined for slaughter, having lost about forty kilos of their weight due to the eight-hour effort. After strong protests from animal rights activists, the organizers had to replace the oxen with a modern tractor.
The artwork is 25 meters tall and carries at the top the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, who presides protectively over the entire population. Its weight is incalculable, but some venture an estimate of twenty tons; the spire is made up of ninety-nine panels of straw worked into “little braids”, “braids”, “laces”, and “strawwork”. The panels combined form columns, arches, capitals, cornices, figures of angels, and coats of arms. If all the strands of straw used for the construction of the obelisk were joined together, they would form a thread about three thousand kilometers long. The structure consists of seven levels or “registers” and rests on a cart of about 20 square meters, suitably reinforced.
