Cunti e Canti di Natale

Christmas told in the Sicilian language

Cunti e Canti di Natale is the festival that brings the most authentic festive spirit to the center of Giardini-Naxos, in the province of Messina, every December through the Sicilian language. Organized by the Pro Loco of Giardini Naxos, led by president Giuseppe Carmeni, the event makes Sicilian the absolute star of the evening: not just a dialect, but a Romance language used to convey culture, traditions, and the most popular dimension of Christmas.

Cunti, poetry, and traditional songs

The evening alternates dramatized interpretations of poetry and cunti (traditional tales) with dialect comedies, traditional Christmas carols, and live music. Local theater companies, musical groups, and storytellers take the stage in a collective tribute to the "mother tongue" that has always guarded the stories and emotions of the Sicilian people.

A community event

• Artistic direction and staging by Naxos Entertainment, a film and theater laboratory directed by Giovanni Bucolo.
• Traditional venue at the Parish of Santa Maria Immacolata (Church of San Giovanni), with the collaboration of parish priest Father Eugenio Tamà.
• Free admission event, under the patronage of the Municipality of Giardini-Naxos.

In Giardini-Naxos, between sea and tradition

Overlooking the gulf at the foot of Taormina, Giardini-Naxos is one of the most well-known towns on the Ionian coast of Messina, yet it retains a strong popular identity. "Cunti e Canti di Natale" fits into this tradition: a cultural proposal that, during the Advent period, gathers the community around its own language and roots, offering residents and visitors an intimate and deeply Sicilian evening.