Saint Anthony Abbot Festival

A folk festival in the heart of the Nebrodi

The Saint Anthony Abbot Festival is the most anticipated summer event in Cerami, a town of just under two thousand inhabitants in the province of Enna, the only municipality in the Enna area entirely contained within the Nebrodi Park. Celebrated every year on the last Sunday of July, the festival is considered one of the most beautiful and well-attended in the entire Nebrodi territory: for a few days, the village fills with returning emigrants, devotees, and visitors, weaving together popular religiosity, rural traditions, and village festivities.

The cavalcade and the blessing of the horses

The most characteristic moment is the historical cavalcade that takes place on the morning of the last Saturday in July, the eve of the festival. The mounted procession, preceded by the confraternity's banner, moves from the Church of Saint Anthony and reaches the votive shrine at the Timpone di Sant'Antonio, where the blessing of the horses takes place. Upon returning to the village, the cavalcade travels through the streets of the historic center and stops in the San Leonardo district, where blessed bread and cheese are distributed in honor of the saint, along with bippite, the traditional offerings of biscuits and wine.

The processions and the saint's fercolo

On Saturday afternoon, the solemn procession of the Relics takes place, with the participation of the four local confraternities in traditional attire, moving from the Mother Church to the Church of Saint Anthony. Sunday is the day of the main celebration: at noon, to the notes of the Hymn to Saint Anthony and amidst the exultant cries of the faithful, 'a Nisciuta takes place—the triumphal exit of the statue on its artistic processional float, adorned with lazzuna, ropes decorated with tassels and small bells. In the evening, the return procession concludes with the evocative cursa, the rapid ascent of the float along the village streets.

Folk games and fireworks

The festival preserves a rich repertoire of traditions: the 'ntinna, a greasy pole climbing competition, and the pignati, the traditional pot-breaking game. At approximately 8:00 PM, on Corso Roma, the fireworks display lights up the village sky, followed by a musical evening in the square that concludes the festivities.

History and devotion

The cult of Saint Anthony Abbot in Cerami dates back to the early 16th century: the Confraternity of Saint Anthony Abbot, founded in 1600, remains the organizational soul of the festival today. Cerami celebrates the saint twice a year: on January 17th with the evocative calata du circu and in July with the summer festival. Immersed in the landscape of the Nebrodi Park in Sicily, the Saint Anthony Abbot Festival is a precious testament to faith and community identity that has been renewed for over four centuries.