Viva Sant’Agata! Word spread throughout Sicily about the brutality that Agatha endured and how she stood strong in her Christian faith through it all (as recounted in yesterdays’ post). Over time, her cult grew. That brings us to contemporary Catanian’s devotion to the virgin martyr that reaches a fever pitch during the annual feast from February 3 to 5.

This year, because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the feast is being observed online and through previously recorded films. But no doubt, the veneration of one of Sicily’s most important dieties must not be underestimated. 

(NB a W is used as an abbreviation for Viva, as shown on this luminaria/light display.)