Tag: saint
-
Light Up the Dark
Please mark your calendar to come celebrate our shared light in New York City on Sunday, Dec. 10 at 2PM at Cacio e Vino, where we’ll have a full luncheon with traditional Sicilian dishes for Santa Lucia, a presentation about the Patroness of Siracusa, and a short live concert of traditional Sicilian songs. Reservation and…
-
Today Women Claim the Streets
There’s no doubt that men dominate the annual activities of Catania’s Feast of Sant’Agata. The rituals that I’ve explained over the past few days are designed to display devotees’ physical strength and fortitude in tribute to the virgin martyr – – through expressions of traditionally male strength. However, in the past few years, women have…
-
The Feast of Sant’Agata, Day 3
My takeaway from the Festa di Sant’Agata in Catania last year was that there was a pure sense of fraternity, community, and hope among the “cittadini.” The faith that followers have for their patroness was so inspirational. And their faith in each other was as well. Taking a long view (and a New Yorker’s view),…
-
The Feast of Sant’Agata, Day 2
Last night, Catania’s Piazza del Duomo, the main city square, was jammed with onlookers awestruck by the magnificent fireworks display choreographed to symphonic music. Last year, when I witnessed it, my breath was taken away by the magnitude of the presentation. It was unlike any other pyrotechnic display I have seen! Simply stupendous! Today at…
-
The Feast of Sant’Agata, Day 1
Word spread throughout Sicily about the brutality that Agatha endured and how she stood strong in her Christian faith through it all (as recounted in the last two days’ posts). Over time, her cult grew. Folklorists will tell you that the feverish devotion for Agatha is rooted in local citizens’ ancient devotion to the virgin…
-
The Legend of Sant’Agata or Saint Agnes (Saint Agatha), Part 2
This 1786 painting by Mariano Rossi (1731-1807), The Martyrdom of Saint Agatha (on display in the Museo Civico at Castello Ursino in Catania), gives us a glimpse into the fate of our beloved Christian patroness. To recap from yesterday’s post, after the beautiful virgin Agatha refused the advances of the Roman prefect Quintianus, he arrested…
-
The Legend of Sant’Agata or Saint Agnes, Part 1
Sant’Agata was a virgin martyr who died in 251 AD. Legend is that she was the beautiful daughter of a wealthy family from Catania (as depicted in the emblem, pictured, worn by followers during her feast). A faithful Christian, Agatha (or Agnes) swore herself to God. Important to know, during her lifetime, Christianity was illegal…
-
The Dance of Saint Vitus and Who is Vito Anyway?
One of my favorite songs is “Il Ballo di San Vito” by Italian artist Vincio Capossela. It’s a wild tarantella, and it discusses just that–a wild dance in the south of Italy with hot winds from Africa, burnt earth, fire, and dancers frenetically moving in and out of a circle doing the pizzica tarantella. The…
-
Happy Name Day
January 20 is Saint Sebastian’s Day. I’d like to wish my friends named Sebastian and Sebastiano, “Buon Onomastico!” In Italy, your name day, i.e., the feast day of the saint for whom you are named, is as important as your birthday. So, if you have a friend named Sebastian, wish him “Auguri di buon onomastico…