Feast of Maria SS. Madre della Grazia

The Marian festival of Ventimiglia di Sicilia

Every summer, the town of Ventimiglia di Sicilia, a small community in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, gathers around its oldest devotion: the Feast of Maria SS. Madre della Grazia, known locally as the 'Matri Razia'. While not the town's patronal feast, it is the most widely attended celebration of the year, drawing thousands of faithful and visitors from neighboring towns to its streets and squares.

The 'Quindicina' and the dawn pilgrimage

The festivities follow an ancient calendar. On the last Sunday of July, the icon of the Madonna is carried in procession from the mother church to the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Grazia, the so-called Madonna della Rocca, which stands on a hill just outside the town. From that moment until August 15th, the quindicina begins: every day at the first light of dawn, groups of devotees walk up to the sanctuary to recite the Rosary in the local dialect according to tradition, followed by Holy Mass. This dawn ascent, sometimes performed barefoot as a vow, sets the spiritual tone for the entire festival.

August 15th, the heart of the festival

On the day of the Assumption, the festival reaches its peak. After the morning pilgrimage, the town comes alive with a fair, a brass band, and drums parading through the streets, while Masses are celebrated at the sanctuary. In the afternoon, the most beloved popular traditions take place: the pigghiata da 'n'tinna, a greasy pole climb where the most daring attempt to win the prize, and the drawing of the icon. The day concludes with the solemn evening procession that returns the sacred image to the mother church, welcomed in Piazza Monsignor Lo Cascio by a concert from the local musical association. On August 16th, a second procession carries the icon through the streets of the historic center.

The festival of the 'forestieri'

The Feast of the Madonna della Grazia has always been known as the 'festival of the forestieri': it falls during the Ferragosto period, when Ventimiglia's emigrants return to their hometown to reconnect with family and traditions. Alongside the religious aspect, the evenings offer shows, concerts, 'notti bianche' (white nights), and entertainment, turning the village into an open-air stage.

History and tradition

The devotion is rooted in the very foundation of Ventimiglia, established in the 17th century in the Calamigna fiefdom by the will of Don Girolamo del Carretto and named after his wife, Beatrice Ventimiglia. Tradition tells of the discovery, between two rocks, of an image of the Madonna breastfeeding the Child: the sanctuary was built on the site of the miracle, and it still dominates the town today, safeguarding the identity of the Calamignara community.