At the dawn of the 4th century, practicing Christianity in the Roman-ruled city of Siracusa was illegal. Already though, inspired by nearby Catania’s Patron Saint, Sant’Agata, who lived just a few decades before (from 231 AD – 251 AD), the young and beautiful Lucia devoted herself to Christianity. In fact, she was known to enter the dark catacombs of the city to feed hungry, early Christians living underground — lighting her way through the tunnels with a torch. Lucia was so dedicated to Christ that she planned to give her dowry to the poor, yet her widowed and sick mother had already arranged for Lucia to be married to a wealthy pagan. When the young man heard of Lucia’s wish to disburse her dowry in the name of Christianity, in retaliation, he contacted Roman authorities, who sentenced Lucia to work in a brothel. This is where it gets interesting! (To be continued…)

Our Feast of Santa Lucia event this Sunday, December 8 features a community prix fixe lunch of typical Sicilian dishes, live music, a raffle, and a discussion of the legend and traditions. Let’s light up these dark days together with joy!

Reserve your spot at https://experiencesicily.com/events/festa-di-santa-lucia/

Use the code SMALLBIZ by 11:59PM tonight to receive 15% off your order.