Abstract:
February 17th marked a special occasion for a group of Waldensian followers in Valdese. On that day, King Charles Albert of Piedmont granted Waldensian independent religious freedom. Waldensian faith stemmed from a group which broke away from the Catholic Church and because of that were persecuted for centuries. On February 17th, the Waldensians who immigrated to Valdese remember the suffering of their ancestors in solemn speech before celebrating their freedom with bonfires, dance, and food, not dissimilar to Americans' Fourth of July.