Tag: feast
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Melon Yellow
These beautiful yellow melons are now coming in to season in Sicily. These are so good! Sweet and juicy when ripened to “just right.” The town of Joppolo Giancaxio (Agrigento province) will celebrate their harvest of these melons with a sagra this coming weekend. Tastings of melon-based dishes will be enjoyed alongside arts and crafts…
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Nothing Short about Maletto’s Cake
This weekend in Maletto, a town between Randazzo and Bronte on the north slope of Mount Etna, citizens celebrate the 31st annual Sagra della Fragola, or Strawberry Festival. Strawberries, like the ones pictured, are celebrated in all forms: strawberry cake, strawberry pastries, strawberry gelato, strawberry jams, strawberry risotto, strawberry … you get the idea! There’s…
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Viva Santa Rita!
Right now in Castellammare del Golfo, we’re celebrating Santa Rita, the patron saint of abused wives and heart broken women. Yesterday was her feast day, but tonight in Castellammare del Golfo they processed this beautiful statue. Santa Rita lived a model life in the province of Perugia (Umbria) from 1381-1457.
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Galloping through Modica
The Sangiuggiari, or devotees of Saint George in Modica, will process the statue of San Giorgio slaying a dragon through the town’s streets on Sunday, May 24. Confetti and fireworks annually mark the start of a winding parade during which faithful men carry the heavy statue on their shoulders–sometimes galloping to simulate the horse on…
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The Easter Arches of San Biagio Platini
Annually each spring, the citizens of San Biagio Platini in Agrigento Province recognize Christ’s triumph over death with the “Archi di Pasqua,” or the Arches of Easter. This year from March 27 until May 7, the mountain town’s Corso Umberto (i.e., Main Street) will be outfitted with elaborate archways, domes, and bell towers constructed using…
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Lords, Swords, and Ladies
Annually on the fourth Sunday of May, the town of Casteltermini holds the Festa di Santa Croce e Sagra del Tataratà. During the feast, which dates back to medieval times, one of the traditions is a reenactment of a combat style utilized by the Arabs, who occupied Sicily from approximately 827 A.D. to 1091 A.D.…
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Viva Santa Lucia!
Viva Santa Lucia! Today is the Feast of Santa Lucia. Devotees wearing green caps process her priceless silver statue and sacred relics through the streets of Oritgia, Sicily. Throughout the march, faithful sing a call-and-response in reverence to their patroness: Viva Santa Lucia! —Starting at 3 p.m. Today, Sunday!— Join us on Sunday, December 13…
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Coochy Coochy … Cuccìa
To celebrate Lucia, the Patron Saint of eyes, sight, light, and wheat, Sicilians eat cuccìa. Cuccìa is a pudding made of farro (wheat berries or barley), milk (in this case, ricotta), and honey or sugar. This culinary ritual is practiced in remembrance of the grain that finally arrived by boats on their way from North…
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Lovely Bones
Please join me, Allison Scola of Experience Sicily, along with Villa Palagonia music duo and Gelsomino Imports at Eolo Seasonal Sicilian Kitchen in New York City on Sunday, December 13 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for a very special Festa di Santa Lucia event. There will be unlimited exquisite food and wine, live Sicilian-inspired…