Festa dell’Immacolata or the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated throughout Italy on December 8. The day recognizes that the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived without original sin – something with which, in Catholic dogma, every person is considered to have been born. In Sicily, on December 7th and 8th, there are many different traditions practiced across the island, from foods eaten to singalongs and more.

(Statue of the Virgin Mother with child from the 16th century, Gagini school; photographed at the Duomo di Siracusa)