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Local Traditions & Customs
Religious celebrations
» Events
Many
of the celebrations mentioned in the other sections have a
religious origin, usually taking place in honour of the city’s
patron saint. We have summarised these events which have a
strong religious flavour in a single chapter.
But there are surprises, especially in Sicily, which is particularly rich in religious celebrations; as the Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia has noted - "a religious celebration in Sicily is everything except a religious celebration". In other words, the Sicilians accept their Roman Catholic faith above all because it permits the expression of such vibrant celebration. The “Festa di San Paolo” is an excellent example of this, as is the “Festino di Santa Rosalia” in Palermo.
In the past patron saints and protectors were unsentimentally and unceremoniously dropped if they had obviously lost their power, if an epidemic continued to rage, for example, in spite of appeals for intercession. And a saint who had lost his or her status in a city could happily start a new career elsewhere; so Madonnas of the sea sometimes replaced Madonnas of the mountain.
Although - or perhaps precisely because the Sicilians recreate with such fervour their religious celebrations as a form of recreation - you should definitely time your visit to Sicily during these periods of festivities, either in Holy Week and the run up to Easter, or during the months of June and July, when the weather is also more pleasant.
In Spain, during the feast of the ‘Apostol Santiago’, pilgrims make their way to the famous Santiago de Compostela, along the much praised ‘Jacob way’ – a particularly beautiful example of the celebration of a patron saint. Turkey, on the other hand, holds its own fascination with its Whirling Dervishes Festival in Konya, the inspiration of which is as mystic as it is charming. You can learn more about it by again visiting this web site.
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