Feast of Saint Agatha

One of the world's greatest religious festivals

The Feast of Saint Agatha is the beating heart of Catania's identity and one of the most impressive displays of devotion on the planet, often compared in scale and fervor to the Holy Week in Seville or the Corpus Christi celebrations in Cusco. Dedicated to the Catanese virgin and martyr, the patron saint of the city and diocese, the festival draws hundreds of thousands of faithful who flood the historic center during the three main days on February 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

History: from the martyrdom of 251 to the translation in 1126

Saint Agatha was martyred on February 5th, 251 AD, during the persecutions of Emperor Decius. Her cult spread rapidly throughout the Mediterranean, but the city's festival finds its roots in 1126, when the Saint's relics, stolen and taken to Constantinople in 1040, were returned to Catania. In 2026, the city celebrates the 9th Centenary of the Translation of the Relics (1126-2026), a Jubilee year featuring a dense calendar of extraordinary events.

The candelore and the fercolo

Among the most beloved symbols of the festival are the candelore, enormous, richly carved and gilded wooden columns representing the city's ancient guilds and trade categories. Carried on shoulders with a characteristic swaying motion known as 'a annacata, they precede the fercolo, the precious silver carriage topped by the reliquary bust and the casket containing the Saint's remains, pulled by devotees using long white ropes.

The three days of the festival

• February 3rd: the solemn procession of the wax offering, featuring religious, civil, and military authorities, chivalric orders, and the historic carriages of the city Senate;
• February 4th: before dawn, the evocative Dawn Mass and the exit of the fercolo, which travels through the sites of the martyrdom (Sant'Agata la Vetere, Piazza Stesicoro, Via Garibaldi);
• February 5th: the solemn Pontifical Mass in the Cathedral and, in the evening, the long procession along Via Etnea to Piazza Cavour, concluding with spectacular fireworks.

The devotees and the atmosphere

The cittadini (citizens) wear the traditional sacco, a white linen tunic tied at the waist, with a black cap, handkerchief, and white gloves, shouting "Cittadini, viva Sant'Agata!". The red carnations that adorn the fercolo on February 4th, symbolizing martyrdom, give way to white flowers on the day of the solemnity, representing the Saint's purity.

Catania and Sicily

Nestled in the heart of the Province of Catania, at the foot of Mount Etna, the festival is a total experience that blends the sacred and the profane, devotion and folklore, gastronomic tradition and popular identity. For Catanese locals and visitors from all over Sicily and abroad, Saint Agatha represents the most anticipated event of the year, capable of bringing the city to a standstill for days in a single, overwhelming manifestation of faith.