Sunday, Dec. 13 is the Feast of Santa Lucia. For those who wish to make cuccìa (pictured) with Alessia of Smile and Food during our online feast event (Details and registration at https://experiencesicily.com/santa-lucia-2020/ ), you should start planning now. Your farro (wheat berries) need to soak in water for 72 hours (and change the water…
Tag: santa lucia
The Saints As Guides For Life’s Cycles
The veil between the living and the dead is thin during these days of mid-autumn. In past centuries, November 1 was better known as All Hallows or Hallowmas (Hence yesterday being All Hallows Eve or Halloween, in northern Christian countries.). Now called All Saints Day, today is a solemn feast to acknowledge all saints, known…
May Light Greet You Today
Viva Santa Lucia!
Thanks To Cacio E Vino And Our Guests | Viva Santa Lucia
A few photos from our Experience Sicily Santa Lucia Feast in New York City. Thanks to Cacio e Vino for hosting us with the excellent food and service! Thanks to our guests who brought their beautiful spirits to share with each other! It was a joyful afternoon. Viva Santa Lucia!
A Dagger? Eyes On A Plate? What Intrigue!
A dagger? Eyes on a plate? What intrigue! (Continued from an earlier post…) Inspired by Sant’Agata of Catania before her, Lucia refused to participate in the activities of the brothel to which she was condemned. This of course, angered the madame, who called the Roman authorities to further punish the maiden. Somewhere in this mayhem,…
Let’s Light Up These Dark Days on Sunday With Santa Lucia
At the dawn of the 4th century, practicing Christianity in the Roman-ruled city of Siracusa was illegal. Already though, inspired by nearby Catania’s Patron Saint, Sant’Agata, who lived just a few decades before (from 231 AD – 251 AD), the young and beautiful Lucia devoted herself to Christianity. In fact, she was known to enter…
Let’s Have A Ball On Sunday
Sunday in NYC: Let’s eat rice balls!! Santa Lucia is the patron saint of grain, and as a result, arancine, or rice balls, are a significant element to celebrating the Feast of Santa Lucia. So much so, that in Palermo, her feast day is also the Sagra delle Arancine. Why rice balls (pictured)? To commemorate…
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…
Let’s Celebrate Santa Lucia In New York Together
You are invited to Celebrate La Festa di Santa Lucia! Next Sunday in New York City at Cacio e Vino, Experience Sicily will host the Feast of Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy), the beloved patroness from Siracusa, Sicily who is venerated from Venice to Sweden and beyond. It is a festival of light to help us…
Ancient Myths Light The Way
The legend of Santa Lucia starts before the early 4th century CE, when the maiden was killed by Roman soldiers for being Christian. Lucy’s story as we know it today starts with the ancient Greek divinities Demeter and Persephone. Demeter is the goddess of the grain, the harvest, and fertility. Persephone, Demeter’s daughter, is the…