July 15 in Palermo is a day of masses, prayers, and concerts at the Cathedral in honor of Santa Rosalia. At 7PM, down il Cassaro, the Archbishop and Mayor of Palermo will lead a solemn procession featuring the silver urn containing the sacred relics of La Santuzza. With the intention to reenact the purification of…
Tag: viva santa rosalia
Listen for The Chants During Il Festino
“Il festivo,” which takes place in Palermo on the evening of July 14 in honor of Santa Rosalia, is a big street party that unifies the city’s citizens through a procession that symbolically purifies the metropolis from the evils that have long afflicted it. The events of the party are a mix of folklore, religion,…
A Solemn Procession for the City
On July 15, after a day of masses, prayers, and concerts at the Cathedral, at 7 PM from the Cathedral on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the Archbishop and Mayor of Palermo will lead a solemn procession featuring the silver urn containing the sacred relics of Santa Rosalia. With the intention to reenact the purification of…
Thanks to a Lost Hunter
During the late spring and summer of 1624, Palermo was under siege from a plague that cursed more than 10,000 inhabitants. Things were looking pretty bleak until in early July, when a lost hunter had a vision (as illustrated by this image, located at the saint’s sanctuary on Mount Pellegrino): Santa Rosalia appeared to him…
Healing Bones
“Viva Palermo e viva Santa Rosalia!” July 14 and 15 marks the Feast of Santa Rosalia in Palermo. Last night was Il Festino, an event that I’ve blogged about in the past. Different from the revelry of Il Festino, on the 15th, citizens practice a solemn tradition: the clergy parade the saint’s bones through the city…