A fundamentally Catholic land

Christianity, which eventually became the official religion of the Roman Empire, came to the island early. In the Middle Ages, the Pope ruled over an influential state and Rome was the centre of the Christian world. Today, the Italian constitution guarantees freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. However, Italy is a territory rich in churches, cathedrals, basilicas... and has the most saints and sanctuaries in the Christian world. As in France, the three major religious holidays are Easter, August 15(Ferragosto) and Christmas. While more and more Italians are adopting northern European customs for Christmas celebrations - Christmas tree and gift exchange - there are still two strong traditions in Sicily: the construction of elaborate nativity scenes(presepi) and the Befana. On January 6, the day of the Epiphany, the Befana (witch) travels the sky on a broomstick in search of the Christ Child. She stops at every house and leaves gifts, toys and sweets for the good children and a piece of coal for the others.

Religion still alive in Sicily

Sicilian youth is very attached to traditions and religious processions, and young Sicilians will prove to you that it is possible to be trendy and at the same time devout! The processions of the patron saint Rosalia in Palermo and of Saint Agatha in Catania are particularly lively. Religion structures most of the social rites: is it not a form of recognition of divine assistance to use the steps of religious buildings to make them, according to the vocation of the place, a crossroads for meetings? But above all, the true presence of the sacred is observed in the face of death, which is an integral part of the life of the Sicilian. It is referred to on every street corner, by the death notices that are put up on the walls, by the small signs of the cross made when a hearse passes or when one walks along a cemetery. Just look at the catacombs of the Capuccini in Palermo, where nearly 8,000 corpses of wealthy Palermitans who died between the 17th and 20th centuries are piled up, nearly 3,000 of which have been mummified! In addition, Sicilians call upon the saints to come to the rescue at the slightest blow of the sirocco. But superstitions are not necessarily religious. In some villages in the interior of the island, you may see house facades with a pair of scissors inlaid in the wall: they are meant to ward off bad luck and warn the enemy (a deterrent, no?).

The celebrations of Holy Week

If the Settimana Santa at Easter is celebrated throughout the Catholic Christian world, and especially in Spain, some Sicilian towns stand out for their processions, which were inherited from the Spanish Inquisition. Those of Trapani and Erice - a village in the hills above Trapani - are literally "mysterious". A secular event between religion and folklore, the procession of the Mysteries is one of the highlights of Trapani life. Every Good Friday, groups of sculpted statues (the Misteri) renew the Passion and death of Jesus Christ in a grandiose procession. Other towns stand out for their traditional ritual processions during Holy Week inherited from the Spanish Inquisition, but more in the centre of the island. The most famous are those of Caltaniccetta, Caltagirone and Enna. The latter is particularly impressive, as the religious orders parade on this occasion dressed in white tunics and hoods.