The annual Feast of the Holy Cross and Tataratà Festival, or Festa di Santa Croce e Tataratà celebrates folklore having to do with the founding of Casteltermini. Legend is that before the town was founded in 1629, a herder noticed that his cows congregated and knelt down at a specific spot day after day. Curious, the herder began to dig at the spot. To his surprise, he unearthed an ancient wooden cross (pictured here), that dates back to 70 A.D.–the beginning of Christianity. The local guilds immediately built a hermitage to protect and guard the cross. Now, annually, the town recognizes their treasure with a remarkable festival which includes marching bands, townspeople dressed in medieval costumes processing, and of course, the Tataratà combat-dance (see earlier post).

Join me next May for our Myths and Mysteries of Sicily Tour to experience the Festa di Santa Croce yourself!

(Photo Credit: Experience Sicily’s Filippo Buttitta)