Feast of Maria SS. del Bosco

A patronal feast in the heart of the Iblean Mountains

The Feast of Maria SS. del Bosco is the main religious and popular festival of Buscemi, a small town in the Iblean Mountains in the province of Syracuse, Sicily. It is celebrated every year on the last Sunday of August and gathers thousands of faithful, returning emigrants, and visitors in the historic center, all drawn by one of the most intense and ancient traditions of the Iblean plateau.

Legend and History

According to popular tradition, two mute friars guided the inhabitants to discover a painting depicting the Virgin with the Child and the terrestrial globe in a dense forest. A sanctuary was built on the site of the discovery, while the two friars disappeared after miraculously making water spring forth. The ancient fresco survived the devastating earthquake of 1693 that razed the town to the ground: when Buscemi was rebuilt, the sanctuary was also reconstructed in its original location, on the hill a short distance from the village. A statue was created from the painting, and in 1919, Maria SS. del Bosco was officially proclaimed patron saint of Buscemi.

Traditions of the Feast

The popular devotion of Buscemi is expressed through unique rites passed down for generations:

• The "spada nura": young bearers lift the 19th-century fercolo on their bare shoulders while invoking the Madonna.
• The "viaggiu scausu": devotees make a pilgrimage barefoot from their homes to the sanctuary to fulfill a vow.
• The "ballata della Madonna": the bearers move the statue with a characteristic undulating motion, back and forth, making the Virgin travel the entire main street as if in a dance.
• Numerous parents present their children as a thank-you offering to the Patron Saint.

The Day's Events

At dawn on the last Sunday of August, the firing of firecrackers and the festive ringing of bells announce the start of the feast. In the morning, the procession takes place with the artistic 19th-century vara (float) leaving the Mother Church, accompanied by the brass band and the emotional climb along the ancient streets of the village. In the evening, after the solemn Eucharistic celebration, a second processional cortege crosses the streets of the festively illuminated town. The civil celebrations conclude with a musical show in the square and fireworks. The following Sunday, for the Octave, the statue returns to the sanctuary along the reverse route, greeted by a pyrotechnic display.

An Identity-Defining Event

For Buscemi and the entire Iblean area, the Feast of Maria SS. del Bosco is much more than a religious anniversary: it is the moment when the community gathers around its "Queen of the Iblei," amidst faith, folklore, and conviviality. It is also a precious opportunity to discover this village in the province of Syracuse, known for its widespread ethno-anthropological museum, "The Places of Peasant Work."