Feast of St. Michael
Street View (if present)
Description

Feast of San Michele - Palazzolo Acreide

   

 

---------------- 

Technical sheet prepared by: Region of Sicily - Department of cultural heritage and Sicilian identity - CRicd: Regional center for inventory, cataloging and documentation and Sicilian regional film library

N. Prog. 85
Well: Feast of San Michele
Book: REI - Book of celebrations
Approval date: 13-04-2007
Category: Party / Ceremony
Province: Syracuse
 
Municipality: Palazzolo Acreide
 
 
Chronological News
The Palazzolese cult linked to "San Michele Arcangelo" has medieval origins which, according to some, would date back to the Arab-Norman period, when Christians prayed to "The Warring Archangel" to help the Christian soldiers drive the Saracens from ancient Palatiolum. After the Norman victory, the population of the ancient Palatiolum warmly celebrated "San Michele Arcangelo". The "Fighting Archangel" to this day is still venerated with a fervent devotion comparable to that with which the two main "Saints" of Palazzolo are venerated; “San Paolo” and “San Sebastiano”. It is also said that in very ancient times a timid proposal was even made by the devotees of "San Michele" so that Palazzolo Acreide had "The Fighting Archangel" as Patron, but the proposal made by the devotees to "San Michele" was not accepted.
Recurrence: Annual
Date: The Sunday after September 29th and all the following week
Occasion: Feast of San Michele Arcangelo which concludes the circle of the four festivals of the Palazzolese summer (S. Paolo on 29 June, S. Sebastiano on 10 August, Madonna Addolorata on the third Sunday of September, S. Michele on the Sunday following 29 September ).
Function: Devotional
Actors: Porters, brotherhoods, flag-wavers, majiorettes
Participants: Local community, flag wavers, majorettes, marching bands, clergy, devotees, tourists, local authorities.
Description
The feast of San Michele Arcangelo closes the period of the summer feasts of Palazzolo Acreide. In fact there were: the feast of San Paolo on June 29, that of San Sebastiano on August 10, the Madonna Addolorata on the third Sunday of September.
On September 28, which is the day of the eve of the liturgical feast, the "sciuta ra Camira" takes place, that is, the opening of the curtain that covers the room where the simulacrum of the Saint is kept all year round on the high altar, and this is moved slightly forward.
On Saturday, which is the day before the external party, in the afternoon the Giro di Gala takes place in which flag-wavers, majorettes, various bands, the procession of banners and the banner participate.
On the Sunday following 29 September, at 11 am the boys of the organizing committee of the party launch the characteristic hot air balloons made by themselves.
At 13 pm the "sciuta" takes place, that is the simulacrum of the Saint, which shortly before was placed on the fercolo on the shoulder, leaves the church to begin the procession and the "nzareddi" are launched, which are long strips of papers of different colors that they create magnificent scenographic effects falling in rain around the statue accompanied by fireworks, while the numerous faithful present in the square with their arms raised towards the Saint invoke him aloud.
The screams of the porters and brothers rise in the air and, mixing with the music of the musical bands, with the drum beats by the flag-wavers in medieval costumes and the mortar shots fired repeatedly in the Palazzolese sky, make it clear that the long diurnal procession begins. The Simulacrum, surrounded by the banners and yellow flags of the "Confraternity of San Michele", is followed both by the "Confraternity" itself and by many pilgrims who, only for their gratitude to "San Michele" for their "Vote of Grazia Ricevuta ", they walk barefoot on an asphalt made very hot by the dry autumn sun
The simulacrum, in the daytime procession, is carried bare-shouldered through the streets of the neighborhood, preceded by long banners.
The tour is very tiring both for porters and for barefoot pilgrims who, among the steep mountain lanes of the neighborhoods adjacent to the Church, have to undertake an enormous effort also given by the scorching sun; but they only for the love of "San Michele" continue undaunted to walk, pray and invoke the Saint. And in the meantime, many children are raised to the "Saint" to be blessed and even more numerous are the banknotes and gold offered to "San Michele" during the stops where the bearers rightly rest.
Many women who participate in the procession make the journey barefoot and along the way the denudation of the children takes place, that is, they are stripped and raised in front of the statue, as a sign of entrustment to the protection of the Archangel to safeguard them from evil. The Saint returns to the church around 14 pm.
In the evening the simulacrum, which has been mounted on the triumphal chariot, is carried in procession through the streets of the town and at the end of the party, late at night, a grandiose fireworks display takes place outside the town.
Throughout the following week various choirs animate the liturgical celebrations of the Octave and St. Michael remains on the high altar in good view.
The following Sunday, the last day of the Octave, the Saint is put back inside the room and covered with a veil.
 
  
Footnotes
The statue of "San Michele" has a great economic and emotional value for the people of Palazzolo; the gold cuirass that covers it has been fused with the precious Ex voto donated in past centuries by wealthy people. As soon as they became too much, it was decided to merge them and form the armor that still covers "San Michele", a statue that in past centuries has also been indicated as "Miraculous" due to some rather striking healings.
So no Palazzolese would ever dream of going and stealing the precious golden statue or the armor alone, not even the worst of criminals, since the gold of "San Michele" is not touched (in the sense that it must not be stolen) and woe to who does it as it would first suffer the fierce wrath of the devotees of "San Michele" and of the Palazzolesi all then (according to popular belief) of the "Saints of Paradise". Even the money and jewels offered to the "Saint" do not touch (the latter will be kept together with all the other Ex voto donated to the "Saint" over the centuries), they must go either to charity out of gratitude to the "Saint" but above all to help the people in need, or must be used to pay for the expenses related to the party; and not even the priests of the church can touch them, only the members of the "Confraternity of San Michele" (which are distinguished from the others in Palazzolo by a yellow handkerchief tied around their neck) can have free access to this money, but there is also a rule within the Brotherhood, that of "not using money for personal purposes" and woe to those who do so. These rules apply not only to the "Confraternity of San Michele", but also to those of the other "venerated saints" in the Iblean town ("San Paolo", "San Sebastiano" and the "Madonna Addolorata").
Card Author: Salvatore Gambacurta

 

sAMICELEPALAZZOLO 2

Visit Sicilian Intangible Cultural Heritage database  to learn about other intangible assets

Visit Data Maps Heritage: Set of databases of the Sicilian Cultural Heritage to know other databases (nature, baroque, archeology, material assets and much more)

Rate it (1 to 5)
3.254
Send a notice to the publisher
[contact-form-7 id="18385"]
Share