Saint Joseph Festival

The Saint Joseph Festival in Ribera

In the town of Ribera, in the province of Agrigento (Sicily), the Saint Joseph Festival is one of the most anticipated and identity-defining events of the year. The celebrations take place in the days leading up to March 19th, the Saint's feast day, and are rooted in a tradition dating back to the 17th century. For the Ribera community, it is not just a religious celebration, but a grand collective ritual that weaves together faith, folklore, peasant cuisine, and popular devotion.

The stràula and the laurel festival

The most distinctive element is the stràula (also known as stràgula), a large tower built on two metal frames—one rectangular and the other crown-shaped (the so-called tistali). The structure is entirely covered with laurel gathered in the countryside starting from the first Sunday of March and decorated with purciddata, votive breads shaped like horseshoes that symbolize abundance and victory. The tower, placed on a cart, is the protagonist of the so-called "laurel festival": on the Sunday before March 19th, men on horseback parade through the town streets holding laurel branches adorned with multicolored ribbons, followed by the stràula amidst firecrackers, drums, and a marching band, along the traditional "strada di li santi" (road of the saints).

The altars, the soup, and the Tridici ritual

During the festival days, traditional Saint Joseph altars are set up inside private homes, where devotees invite people to sit at the table. This is the moment for the "Tridici" ritual: children impersonating the Holy Family and the Apostles knock from house to house in search of hospitality, participating in a banquet of thirteen strictly meatless dishes. In the streets, the typical Saint Joseph soup is distributed—a soup made of wild fennel and fava beans prepared in large pots and offered to all participants as a sign of sharing and charity.

The procession and the fireworks

The culmination of the celebrations is on March 19th, when the day ends with the evocative procession of the Saint Joseph statue along the "strada di li santi" and with fireworks in the square, which light up the sky of Ribera amidst the festive participation of residents and visitors.

A living tradition

Between processions, votive breads, horsemen, faith, and meatless gastronomy, the Saint Joseph Festival of Ribera remains one of the most authentic expressions of popular culture in the province of Agrigento and all of Sicily, capable of attracting believers, the curious, and enthusiasts of Sicilian traditions every year.