Experience Sicily

Tag: holy family

  • Saint Joseph And The Spring Equinox

    Viva San Giuseppe! Saint Joseph’s Day is March 19, and today, I am thrilled to gather in New York City for our annual celebration of the father, the masculine, and spring’s arrival, and to see friends and family. The feminine mother Earth is coming back to life after the famine of winter. The masculine father…

  • Live Nativity Scenes In Sicily

    Many towns in Sicily annually create elaborate live nativity scenes like this one I saw in 2019 in Custonaci (Trapani Province). These dioramas featuring townspeople acting out iconic moments and everyday activities from past times create a sense of wonder. Presepe Vivente are a reason to visit Sicily during Christmas. 

  • Holy Family

    Sicilians and Italians spend today, Saint Stephen’s Day, visiting presepi, or nativity scenes–traditional, ancient, and modern as well as tiny, life-size, and live (i.e. presented by actors accompanied by live animals)! This inlaid marble alter image depicting the Holy Family is from Palermo’s Monumentale Chiesa dell’immacolata Concezione, a masterpiece of baroque architecture built in 1612.