Deciding to spend a holiday in Sciacca, means being able to attend carnival and religious holidays: the most important events to enjoy while visiting Sciacca.
Celebration of the Madonna del Soccorso in Sciacca
One of the most important festivals held in Sciacca is the celebration of the Madonna del Soccorso. Celebrated twice on February 2 and August 15, this is a very heartfelt holiday related to a miracle that occurred in 1926.
At the time, the plague raged over the city, and the people, by now reduced to exhaustion, approached the Virgin to ask for an end to the epidemic. The statue of the Madonna del Soccorso was carried in procession through all the streets of the city; it was at that point that a lightning was cast from the sky and smoke came out of the base of the statue. At that precise moment all the inhabitants recovered from the plague.
Even today the festival includes a solemn procession of the statue along the path made in that year with the statue carried in procession by fishermen.
Celebration of the Madonna del Soccorso, photo by lnx.comune.sciacca.ag.it
Carnival of Sciacca
One of the most famous events of the city is the Carnival of Sciacca. It is not only the oldest Sicilian carnival but also one of the most fun in Italy: allegorical floats, costume parades, shows make this festival a moment of joy and happiness during which you forget the problems of everyday life.
The celebrations begin on Maundy Thursday, when the symbolic mask of the event, as well as the king of the carnival Peppe Nappa, symbolically receives the keys to the city, but it is only on the third day that the king kicks off the parade, crossing the city in a carriage from which he distributes sausages and wine for everyone, then followed by all the other wagons.
Carnival of Sciacca, photo by lnx.comune.sciacca.ag.it
Feast of San Calogero
On Pentecost Tuesday, the Feast of San Calogero is held to commemorate the aid that the saint gave in 1578 to the population exhausted by continuous earthquakes. The festivities include a procession that begins at dawn, through the streets of the town, with many devotees who walk barefoot to reach the Sanctuary of San Calogero, which preserves the statue of the saint, and is known for its “stufe selinuntine”, natural caves from which steam flows.
La Sceusa
The famous feast of the Ascension, better known as “La Sceusa“, evokes ancient peasant traditions. It is no coincidence that the festival is organized by local farmers who burn dry branches and old objects and decorate their animals with crowns of flowers and carry them around the city.
On this occasion you can also admire the decoration of the Sicilian carts that will parade along the streets of the center until they reach the Municipal abattoir.
Sea festival
Another folk festival to which you can attend is the Sea Festival which takes place in June in honor of St. Peter, protector of fishermen. The procession that takes place at sea with the statue of the saint placed on a boat and accompanied by various fishing boats is fascinating. It is a 4-day celebration during which you can visit the various stalls and enjoy good fish.
