Every 29th of January the residents of Ortona celebrate Saint Sebastiano, a typical folk event which takes place in front of the local cathedral. The event culminates in the burning of a papier maché board filled with fireworks. The board is hung on an iron web crossing the square. After lighting the board the fireworks push it along the web usually ending with a noisy bang.

Perdono takes place the first Sunday in May. The day prior there is the historic “Parade of Silver Keys” in which the civil authorities parade in historical clothes to the cathedral. They take the Government’s silver keys which, along with the local cleric’s keys, are used to open the urn of Saint Thomas which holds the remains of the apostle.