Feast of Saint Calogero the Hermit and Pasta Festival

A festival of faith and community in the Sicani Mountains

The Feast of Saint Calogero the Hermit is one of the most deeply felt religious events in the town of Casteltermini, located in the Sicani Mountains in the province of Agrigento, Sicily. It is celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday of August and culminates in the solemn procession of the Saint's statue through the city streets. Saint Calogero, who lived between the late 5th and mid-6th centuries, is venerated as a miracle-working saint, the famous "Black Saint" who is the object of profound devotion throughout central-southern Sicily.

A month of preparations

The celebrations do not end on the day of the feast: they begin about a month earlier, announced by the traditional roll of drums echoing through the districts. During this period, the Mother Church hosts daily liturgical celebrations and the recitation of the traditional Rosary of Saint Calogero, while the community prepares spiritually for the most anticipated event of the Casteltermini summer.

The pilgrimage and votive breads

Among the most evocative rituals are "u viaggiu scanzu", the barefoot pilgrimage to the Sanctuary, an expression of physical sacrifice experienced as spiritual reflection, and the blessing of the votive breads brought to the church by the faithful, shaped like parts of the Saint's body as a vow for grace and healing. These gestures preserve Sicilian popular religiosity in its most authentic form.

The Saint Calò Pasta Festival

The culinary heart of the festival is the Pasta Festival, which takes place in Piazza Duomo. The stars are the spaghetti with eggplant sauce, the "pasta of Saint Calò": after a moment of prayer and the blessing, they are distributed free of charge to the faithful and pilgrims accompanying the Saint's statue. The festival was born to give form to an ancient custom: sharing blessed food along the procession route, a symbol of material charity and spiritual grace.

A heritage of identity

Included in the rich calendar of Casteltermini's traditions, alongside the famous Tataratà Festival and the devotion to the patron saint Saint Vincent Ferrer, the Feast of Saint Calogero represents an authentic intangible heritage of the Casteltermini community, capable of attracting faithful, returning emigrants, and curious visitors every year who wish to experience one of the most characteristic popular festivals in the Agrigento hinterland.