Saint Rosalia Festival Returns to Palermo on July 14

By Alberto Lunetta/NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

On the evening of July 14, the entire community of Palermo will come together to celebrate its biggest event of the year, the “Festino di Santa Rosalia” (Little Saint Rosalia Festival). The festival was first held in 1625 to honor the saint who was believed to free the population from a terrible plague epidemic which killed 130,000 people. It is a must-see festival blending religion and Sicilian folklore which features a spectacular evening parade in the city center, fireworks, street performances, entertainment for children and traditional Palermo food.

(Photo by Typicalsicily.it)

The Festino di Santa Rosalia has such immense popularity that an expression has developed to indicate how commonplace knowledge of it is. Translated as “Don’t tell me what everybody already knows” the Sicilian idiom “Nun mi cuntari li tri ghiorna d’u fistinu” illustrates the festival’s prominence.

Patrick Brydone, a Scottish traveler who toured southern Italy in the 18th century, recorded one of the most memorable accounts of the Saint Rosalia Festival. In his 1773 book “A Tour though Sicily and Malta,” he pens a vivid account of the chariot’s parade: “The triumphal chariot was preceded by a party of men on horseback, with trumpets and drums, and by all the high officials of the city in full regalia. The ‘machine’ is truly enormous: it measures seventy feet in length, thirty in width, and over eighty in height; as it passes through the streets, it towers above Palermo’s tallest houses. The lower part looks like a Roman galley, but it widens towards the upper part. The front part is broader and shaped like an oval amphitheater, with seats all around: this is the great orchestra, thronged with musicians in several rows, one above the other. At the back of the orchestra rises a great cupola, supported by six Corinthian columns and adorned with numerous figures of saints and angels, with a gigantic silver statue of Santa Rosalia on the top.”

Today, thanks to modern technology, the festival is even more spectacular than it used to be in the past. This year, the festino celebrates its 395rd anniversary. The use of the word “festino” which means “little festival” is ironic, since the festival is one of the oldest and most spectacular in the entire Mediterranean area.

During the festival, which runs from July 10 through 14, the city turns into a vivid stage featuring parades, concerts, shows, fireworks, food stalls and religious processions. Thousands of local residents, tourists, and Sicilian immigrants return to the island to celebrate the beloved patron saint with their relatives and friends. The main city squares will be at the center of the celebrations and will host rock and folklore music, theatrical performances, and entertainment for children.

Life of Saint Rosalia

Saint Rosalia, who is also affectionately called “Santuzza” or “little saint,” was the daughter of a noble family from northeastern Sicily and a descendant of Charlemagne. She lived in the second half of the twelfth century. According to tradition, she left home when she was still a young woman to live as a hermit. She hid in a cave of Mount Quisquinia near Bivona and later in another of Monte Pellegrino near Palermo. She lived in the latter until she died and she was also buried there. In 1624, her remains were discovered and brought to the cathedral of Palermo.

The devotion that palermitani (Palermo’s townspeople) have for Santa Rosalia dates back to 1624. Rosalia is believed to have averted a terrible epidemic of plague that broke out in Palermo. According to tradition, even though the palermitani repeatedly invoked the four city patron saints (Cristina, Ninfa, Oliva and Agata) against the terrible disease, the plague still spread at a horrifying rate. According to legend, a soap manufacturer named Vincenzo Banelli, whose wife died because of the epidemic, urged the Palermo cardinal to hold a procession featuring the relics of Saint Rosalia throughout the city. Tradition holds that Santa Rosalia appeared in a vision to Banelli, instructing him that if her earthly remains were taken in procession throughout the city, the plague would cease.

Thus, on July 14, 1624, a magnificent procession was held in Palermo featuring the saint’s relics placed in a silver case of crimson velvet. She was accompanied by the Royal Council, the Senate, illustrious citizens, and the clergy. By the end of the procession, the miracle was complete and the plague was over. Every year since then, the Palermo community has been celebrating with true devotion its new patron saint.

Festival Schedule

The first three days of the festival are preparation for the final day, July 14, which is the highlight. In the evening, a spectacular parade features the “Carro Trionfale” (triumphal chariot), a spectacular Baroque-styled construction shaped like a ship which is built new every year by artists. The Carro Trionfale leaves from the cathedral, crosses piazza Vigliena (a breathtaking octagonal square where the four oldest districts of the city intersect in one point), and reaches the Foro Italico area. This year, ten inmates of the Palermo Ucciardone prison have volunteered to build the chariot, joining forces with local art students and other volunteers. After the parade, a spectacular fireworks show is performed in the seafront area around midnight.

During the festival, street vendors and restaurants sell traditional Palermo food including the following specialties: “la pasta con le sarde” (pasta with sardines); “i babbaluci” (snails boiled with parsley and garlic); “lo sfincione” (focaccia topped with onions, tomato, salted anchovies, oregano, cheese and breadcrumbs); “il polpo bollito” (boiled octopus); “calia e simenza” (crunchy chickpeas and pumpkin seeds); “la pannocchia bollita” (corn on the cob) and “anguria” (watermelon).

For more information and detailed schedules visit https:// www.comune.palermo.it.