Feast of Saint Sebastian the Martyr

The patronal feast in the heart of the Nebrodi

The Feast of Saint Sebastian the Martyr is the most significant event in Tortorici, a village in the Nebrodi mountains in the province of Messina, Sicily. Saint Sebastian has been the town's patron since the 1600s, and his feast, celebrated primarily in January, is the most anticipated moment of the year for the local community, drawing back numerous emigrants and devotees from neighboring towns.

An intangible heritage of Sicily

Due to the richness of its rituals, the feast has been inscribed since 2008 in the REIS, the Regional Register of Intangible Heritage of Sicily (Book of Celebrations). It is a true concentration of ritual practices, processions, and manifestations of popular religiosity that unfolds over about twenty days starting in mid-January, with a busy calendar that weaves together faith, tradition, and collective identity.

The ritual cycle

• La bula: on the Saturday closest to January 13th, a procession of young people travels through the town streets with "mazzi di disi" (ampelodesmos inflorescences) lit like torches, to the sound of drums, leading to a large bonfire and the purifying ritual of jumping over the fire.
• The laurel parade: devotees carry branches of laurel, a plant that recalls the Saint's martyrdom, decorated with ribbons and citrus fruits.
• La fuitina da vara (January 18th): the vara (processional float) is moved between the town's churches, and the statue, adorned with gold offerings from the faithful, is displayed at the altar; blessed "Saint Sebastian bread" is distributed.
• The relic procession (January 19th): the Saint's relics are carried in procession between the churches.
• The main feast (January 20th): the climax of the celebrations.
• The octave: concluding the cycle, the statue remains on display until the eighth day.

The "nudi" and the vara

The most moving moment is the procession on January 20th. After the solemn Mass, during which the Mayor symbolically hands the keys of the City to the Saint, the statue is placed on the artistic vara and carried on the shoulders of the "nudi" through the narrow streets of the historic center: eighteen devotees dressed in white and barefoot, fulfilling a vow. Carrying the vara is both a privilege and a penitential obligation. Women, also barefoot and dressed in white with their heads covered, accompany the Saint. The tradition commemorates the miraculous discovery of the relics linked to the flood of 1682, when two pilgrims from Rome were stopped near the Calagni stream.

Experiencing the feast in Tortorici

Participating in the Feast of Saint Sebastian means immersing yourself in one of the most authentic traditions of the province of Messina and all of Sicily. Amidst the warmth of popular devotion, the sound of drums, the scent of laurel, and the atmosphere of the historic alleys, the event offers visitors a unique experience of faith and Nebrodi culture.