Feast of Maria SS. delle Grazie

A devotion spanning four centuries

The Feast of Maria SS. delle Grazie is the patronal festival of Mirabella Imbaccari, a small town in the province of Catania nestled at an altitude of over 500 meters in the Erei Mountains, on the border between the Catania and Enna areas. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin of Grace, the town's main patron, is deeply intertwined with the community's origins: in 2011, Mirabella celebrated the four-hundredth anniversary of its founding, reaffirming the profound bond between the village's identity and the Marian cult.

When it takes place

The festival traditionally falls on the last Sunday of August. The main festivities are preceded by a settenario (seven-day period of preparation), a week of liturgical celebrations featuring evening masses, sung rosaries, and moments of prayer that guide the community toward the solemn day.

The procession and the exit of the statue

The highlight is the triumphant exit of the sacred effigy of Maria SS. delle Grazie, which is carried in procession along the traditional streets of the town. The statue, followed by a large crowd of faithful, is accompanied by the devout cry of "Viva Maria," prayers, and joyful hymns, while the ancient custom of votive offerings presented by the locals to their patron is renewed along the route.

Illuminations, music, and the "a maschiata"

As with many great Sicilian traditions, the religious dimension blends with popular culture. The streets are adorned with dazzling illuminations, a brass band accompanies the various stages of the celebration, and the evenings come alive with concerts, shows, and entertainment that involve the entire community. The festivities culminate in the characteristic fireworks known in the local dialect as "a maschiata," which light up the sky over the Calatino area at the end of the day.

Mirabella Imbaccari, the city of bobbin lace

The festival is also an opportunity to discover Mirabella Imbaccari, known as the "city of bobbin lace" for its ancient art of lace-making, now celebrated through street art that features lace motifs on the town's facades. At the heart of the village stands the Mother Church, dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie, which houses the venerated statue. The patronal feast is the most important day of the year for the people of Mirabella, drawing many emigrants and visitors back to this corner of Sicily.