Saint Fortunata Festival

A patronal festival deeply rooted in local tradition

The Saint Fortunata Festival is the main religious and civic event in Baucina, a small town in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, nestled in the hilly hinterland of western Sicily. The main celebrations take place every year on the second Sunday of September and span about two weeks, involving the entire community in a succession of liturgical celebrations, processions, folklore, and performances.

History and legend

Saint Fortunata was a young virgin and martyr from Palestrina, near Rome, killed around the 3rd century during the persecutions. Her Sacred Body arrived in Baucina on February 14, 1790, following a revelation, and the saint soon became the patron and protector of the town. Popular devotion has continued uninterrupted for centuries: the September celebrations have long since reached their 235th edition, a sign of a continuous tradition that makes this festival one of the longest-running in the Palermo area.

The procession and the vara

The heart of the festival is the solemn procession of the Sacred Body of Saint Fortunata, kept in a precious golden urn placed on an artistic vara (float) carried on the shoulders of dozens of bearers through the streets of the historic center. The religious procession is preceded by a historical pageant of participants in Roman-era costumes who re-enact the life and martyrdom of the saint, a tradition dating back to 1891, on the occasion of the first centenary of the translation of the relics.

The flight of the angels

Among the most anticipated and spectacular moments is the flight of the angels: two young girls dressed in white, suspended from a rope stretched above the float, recite a poem in honor of the patron saint. It is a ritual filled with emotion that attracts numerous faithful and returning emigrants every year for the festival.

Music, food festivals, and shows

Alongside the religious dimension, the festival offers a rich civic program: traditional brass bands, tammurinari (drummer) groups, parades of horses and vintage cars and motorcycles, concerts in Piazza San Marco, pop music shows, the sausage festival and local product tastings, a lottery draw, and a grand fireworks display to close the festivities. An event that unites identity, faith, and conviviality in the heart of Sicily.