The celebrations for the saint patron of Palermo, Saint Rosalia, are the next big thing that is going to happen in the capital of Sicily
Around here they call it “U Fistinu”, the feast, and it will take place on the night between July 14 and 15. It really is The Feast in Palermo. Every year the whole town is eager with anticipation, but why? Isn’t it the same old religious celebration over and over again?
Well, actually not. One of the main features of Saint Rosalia day in Palermo is that every year the celebration is different. The schedule of the event maintains a certain structure from year to year, but the core events change every time.
It all starts with a performance in front of the Cathedral. It usually resembles the story of Rosalia, a young girl part of the court of the Norman King Ruggero who refused to marry Count Baldovino and lived as a hermit on Mount Pellegrino. The girl became the patron of the city after her bones, according to the legend, were paraded around the city and healed the citizens from the plague that affected them.
After the performance by the cathedral the wagon of Saint Rosalia, which is created every year by a different artist, starts its procession that will bring it to the doors of the city, by the port. There to await it there’s a stage with artists, dancers and musicists that put on a live show starting in the early evening and going on until Saint Rosalia appears from Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
Once the wagon stops the fireworks start. The feast goes on until late night, transforming the whole Palermo in one huge cheering crowd that moves all together across the old town. This atmosphere is probably the most unique feature of all. You have to be there to feel it.
Image by Jbribeiro1 Source: Wikipedia
