Waiting for the feast of Saint Lucia

The feast of the Patron Saint Lucia is renewed with increasing emotion and public participation. On December 13th and 20th Siracusa will explode with joy in honor of the virgin and martyr Saint Lucia who was born here. The Patron Saint of Siracusa, protector of eyes and sight, is one of the most popular, loved and venerated saint in the world. This year the program, starting on November 30th with the last appointment on December 20th, is divided into three parts: “In attesa della festa”, “La Festa” and “Attorno a Santa Lucia”.

Throughout the period, citizens, believers and curious participate and let themselves be charmed by the ritual that gives homage to the patron saint, who died when the city was under the rule of Diocletian. On 12th December morning, the silver statue is moved to the chapel of the main altar, while “Sarausana jè” (“She is from Siracusa”) is shouted loudly by all the participants. During the solemn vespers the previously blessed cuccia is distributed.

December 13th, the day of the martyrdom of Saint Lucia, is the day of the heartfelt and moving procession, an unmissable event for all the Syracusans and for the various delegations coming from all over the world. The silver simulacrum is carried on the shoulder in a solemn procession by 60 green berets to the Basilica of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro, in the heart of the Borgata. The procession is followed by an eighteenth-century carriage with costumed characters and pilgrims with candles or even barefoot as a sign of thanksgiving or to implore a grace, while the children are approached to the statue covered with silver of Saint Lucia.

One of the most exciting moments is the passage from the Porto Grande of Ortigia, which usually takes place at sunset while all the boats play at parties.

In the Basilica of Saint Lucia al Sepolcro, the statue is exhibited for a week, and then brought back with an equally felt procession that runs through the streets of Ortigia and passes through the Sanctuary of Madonna delle Lacrime and for the Umberto I hospital. the traditional visit to the sick. The statue is carried on the shoulders by the green caps of the carpenter’s brotherhood, so called the bearers for the characteristic color of the caps, and another crowd bath. In the evening, Siracusa greets Santa Lucia with a colorful fireworks show near the Umbertino Bridge.

The feast is characterised by colors, flavors and traditional foods. The zuccaro, for example, is one of the typical sweets of Santa Lucia feast, grandmothers and the aunts’ kitchens already smell of honey and sugar. The Syracusan master confectioners have already bought the ingredients to make the cuccìa a tasty sweet food prepared with wheat, ricotta chees and candied fruit.

If you are in Siracusa on these special days, you can not miss the path we have planned for you!