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Feast of Santa Lucia - Syracuse

Description

Feast of Santa Lucia - Syracuse

La feast of Saint Lucia takes place 13 and 20th December a SIRACUSA where the virgin e martyr Saint Lucia was born.

It is a very heartfelt and participatory party that conveys to the city Sicilian an enormous amount of faithful from all over the province and a good part of the Eastern Sicily.

The patronal feast of the Syracusan saint, although it is preceded by a preparation consisting of moments of prayers and other purely religious initiatives that begins 13 days earlier (this preparation is called "thirteen"), officially begins in the cathedral about five days earlier with the opening of the niche that houses the simulacrum. On the morning of December 12, however, the silvery simulacrum is translated to the cry of "Sarausana jè "(Syracusan is) from his "room" to the high altar. In the evening, the solemn vespers presided over by the archbishop are then celebrated in the Cathedral, in which various priests of the diocese, deacons, the archbishop's seminary, as well as various civil and religious authorities participate. At the end of Vespers, the "cuccìa ”, a typical Luciano dessert that is traditionally prepared the day before the party.

December 13th: This is the main day of the festival. The silvery simulacrum is carried on the shoulder by 60 green caps (nickname given to the bearers due to the characteristic color of the caps) from about 15:30 pm when, amidst the festive sound of the bells, it is carried from the cathedral onto Piazza Duomo crowded with waiting devotees . The simulacrum is preceded by a vara where the relics of the saint carried on the shoulders by women are located inside valuable exhibitors.

After a brief social speech by the archbishop to citizenship, the procession descends along the Aretusa promenade to cross, in the late afternoon, the "Porta Marina" (adjacent to the Great Port), where one of the most touching moments of the day takes place, that is the greetings of sailors and soldiers who make the sirens of their ships sound festive. After that, the simulacrum of Saint Lucia can go towards the bridge named after her to allow a stop of a few minutes.

When the procession is by now on the mainland, it goes along Corso Umberto where it turns into viale Regina Margherita, thus approaching the heart of the Borgata Santa Lucia going up via Piave until reaching piazza Santa Lucia and the Basilica of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro.

Upon entering the basilica, the simulacrum is placed on the high altar where it will remain in front of the faithful for the next seven days.

Day 20, a day traditionally defined by Syracusans as "the eighth", the simulacrum of Saint Lucia, compared to the journey seven days earlier, observes several stops very much felt by the faithful. The procession has a starting time of 16:00 with departure from the Borgata basilica, and not long after the first stop is scheduled at sanctuary of Our Lady of Tears where the meeting between the saint and Mary takes place around which the community of the Marian temple gathers with its rector who gives a short speech to the citizens.

A few meters from the sanctuary is the umberto I hospital and once the first visit is over, it is here that the procession stops again, witnessing the visit to the sick and participating in the moment of prayer managed by the hospital community.

After this other stop, the procession resumes its journey descending along Corso Gelone and the neighboring streets of the city center, the descent towards the island begins from the top of Corso Umberto, upon reaching the Umbertine bridge (the bridges for Syracusans), the last stop is made to kick off the traditional fireworks display.

Once back on the island of Ortigia from piazza Pancali, the route includes the ascent of corso Matteotti and subsequently a new detour to the very central piazza Archimede and adjacent streets with final destination piazza Duomo. The return to the cathedral is greeted with the final firing of the barrels, and after the ritual operations, the silver simulacrum is stored in the niche where it remains closed until the first Sunday in May, when the feast of Saint Lucia king quagghie.

Source: Wikipedia

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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

Intangible Heritage Register

N. Prog. 5

Good: Feast of Saint Lucia

Approval date: 25-01-2006

Chronological News

Santa Lucia was born in Syracuse at the end of the third century. The name Lucia is typically Christian, so perhaps the family was also Christian. Saint Lucia was martyred on December 13, 304 during the persecution of Diocletian. The story of martyrdom has come down to us in two versions from the Latin acts and the Greek acts (or Papadopulo codex). The Latin acts tell that the Saint was pierced in the throat; the Greek acts that she was beheaded. Syracuse celebrates its Patroness twice a year but, undoubtedly the most heartfelt and moving festival is that of December 13, the day of anniversary of the Saint.

Date: November 30 - December 20

Occasion: Celebration of the feast of Saint Lucia

Actors: Civil and religious authorities, people of the faithful

Participants: Community of the faithful

Description

The patronal feast of the Syracusan saint is preceded by the thirteen, moments of prayers and other purely religious initiatives that begin on November 30, 13 days before the date of the feast.

The solemn triduum begins on 9 December with the exhibition of the silver simulacrum of Saint Lucia in the chapel dedicated to her in the Cathedral and the blessing and kissing of the relic takes place every evening. On the morning of December 12, the day of the eve, we witness the translation of the simulacrum from the chapel to the main altar. At 11:45 am the bell-maker and the chapel master begin the necessary operations until the explosion of the applause of the faithful welcomes the saint outside her chapel. Saint Lucia is now in the midst of her people and amid the cries of invocation and applause, she is slowly brought to the main altar of the Cathedral with the cry of Sarausana je (Syracusan is).

In the evening, solemn vespers are celebrated in the Cathedral, presided over by the archbishop, with the participation of various priests of the diocese, deacons, the archbishop's seminary and various civil and religious authorities. At the end of vespers, the cuccìa, prepared the day before, is distributed to the faithful. No believer on the day of the death of the Saint, December 13, eats anything but rice: according to tradition, that day belongs to the Saint, protector of the eyes and not following her would cause blindness. On December 13, the Simulacrum of St. Lucia, escorted by twelve cilii, large wooden candelabra decorated with flowers, is carried in procession through the streets of the city followed by the magnificent eighteenth-century carriage of the Senate, on which the jurors of the Arethusean Senate once sat. and by pages and grooms.

The statue, three meters and seventy meters high, containing in the chest a gold case that holds three fragments of the Saint's ribs, is taken out of the Cathedral.

The procession crosses the Porta Marina, the only one of the ancient gates of the city that has remained intact, then passes the Umbertino Bridge: it is there that the city greets Santa Lucia with fireworks before it resumes its path towards the Cathedral to then head to the Borgata . Once in Piazza S. Lucia, the festive ringing of the bells announces the entry of the Saint into her Church and at the end of the arrangement of the Simulacrum on the main altar of the Basilica, the Holy Mass will take place. The octave in the Basilica is characterized by the constant crowd of faithful who visit the Saint and take part in the Eucharistic celebrations and by the uninterrupted visits to the Sepulcher, where one of the two relics is usually exhibited. December 20 is the day of St. Lucia's return to the Cathedral.

REFERENCES

Petrarch, Rosanna. 2005. The Feast of Saint Lucia. Palermo: Sicilian Region, Department of Cultural and Environmental Heritage and Public Education, Department of Cultural and Environmental Heritage and Permanent Education.

Pitre, Giuseppe. 1979. Patronal festivals in Sicily. Sala Bolognese: Ovens.

Author Profile: Laura Mattaliano

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14-15 Piazza Duomo, Syracuse, SR , Sicily

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