Santa Lucia Answered Their Prayers

Today we’ll make rice balls and cuccìa at noon (eastern time) for Santa Lucia. Details at https://experiencesicily.com/santa-lucia-2020/  In the days leading up to the Feast of Santa Lucia, December 13, many Sicilians refrain from eating pasta and only eat un-ground wheat grain, or “farro,” that is prepared as a dish called cuccìa. Devotees observe this ritual…

They Stabbed Lucia With A Dagger

Please join Experience Sicily online to celebrate the Feast of Santa Lucia this Sunday, Dec. 13 at Noon Eastern. Reserve your spot at https://experiencesicily.com/santa-lucia-2020/ (Story continued from yesterday…) Like Sant’Agata of Catania before her, the maiden Lucia refused to participate in the activities of the brothel to which she was condemned. This of course, angered the…

When Without Wheat

Before I get to the serious significance of the December 13 Feast for Santa Lucia, let’s talk about the really serious stuff: that Palermitani celebrate the Saint by eating arancine. Arancine (as they are known in Palermo; Arancini, if you’re from the east side of Sicily), are rice balls filled with either a beef ragu…

Mother’s Grain

The Feast of Santa Lucia is celebrated on December 13, which until 1582 when the Gregorian calendar was instated, was the winter solstice. To celebrate the saint, who is the Christian translation of the Greek goddess Demeter, goddess of grain, agriculture, and fertility, Sicilians eat cuccìa, a pudding made of farro (barley), milk (in this…