Ancient Greek legend says that the port of Trapani on Sicily’s coastline at the foot of Mount Eryx, is the scythe of Demeter, her principal harvest tool, which she left behind when she hastened to look for her wailing daughter Persephone. This view from Erice includes the Egadi Islands in the background.
Tag: demeter
The Goddess Demeter To Santa Lucia
Join us for a party for La Festa di Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy)! This 3rd century BCE bust was found in Siracusa at the site of what was the sanctuary of Demeter and Kore (Persephone). Do you know the myth of the goddess Demeter and her maiden daughter? This Sunday, December 8 at Cacio e…
The Power Of The Pomegranate
Pomegranates (melograni in Italian) are in season. Scholars believe that the fruit was brought to Sicily by both the Phoenicians and the Greeks, not only for food, but also for religious reasons. Pomegranate seeds represent fertility, prosperity, abundance, and generosity. And because of the Persephone myth–when the maiden daughter of the goddess Demeter eats the…
Enna, The Belly Button Of Sicily
Live from Sicily! I spent a fascinating day in Enna, known as the belly-button of Sicily because of its location in the middle of the island. It’s easy to fall for this medieval city on top of a very tall mountain because even with some of the fascist architecture you’ll see in town, it still…
The Saintly Details
Santa Rosalia, as illustrated in this year’s Archi di Pasqua… Created in a mosaic style using cereals. She is depicted holding a skull, which is a reminder of our mortality.
Gifts From Mother Earth
The chandeliers that line the main corridor of San Biagio Platini’s Archi di Pasqua (Arches of Easter) are made with natural materials. Citizens of the town spend months creating these works of art that celebrate the gifts from Mother Earth.
Circular Loaves For Maria Santissima
The Maria Santissima or Madonna brotherhood side of the Archi di Pasqua in San Biagio Platani, Sicily is decorated in blue and features artwork illustrating the legends and myths of Sicily and its saints and ancient divinities. Pictured here is the entrance archway that displays the cuddura circular bread (behind the white, glazed bread loaves)…
Cuddura Bread Loaves For The Mother
Bread loaves created in the form of a circle or doughnut may be found all over Sicily. The name, “cuddura” bread (also called cuddureddi), comes from the ancient Greek word kollura (or kuddura), which means crown. The loaves are shaped as such so that shepherds and those working in the grain fields and vineyards could…
Sicily And The Myth of Demeter and Kore
The leaf-less trees along my morning walks in the New York City area are a painful reminder that winter’s arrival is imminent. And so, I think of earth’s seasonal cycles, which for centuries were explained by the myth of Demeter and Kore: Hades, the God of the Underworld, abducted the maiden Kore while she was…
Autumn Is Here And So Are Pomegranates
“By what guile did the mighty Host-to-Many deceive you?” the Goddess Demeter asked her daughter Persephone in the The Homeric Hymn to Demeter (As translated by Helene P. Foley). … If you guessed that Hades (the “Host-to-Many”) deceived Persephone by feeding her pomegranate seeds (based on the photo), you are correct. Hades’ cunning action condemned…