Saint Leonard Thanksgiving Day

February 5th, the day of gratitude

The Saint Leonard Thanksgiving Day is one of the most heartfelt traditions in Mascali, a town in the Metropolitan City of Catania overlooking the Ionian coast at the foot of Mount Etna, in Sicily. Every February 5th, the community gathers around the statue of its patron saint, not so much to celebrate his dies natalis, but to offer thanks: it is the day when the people of Mascali renew their gratitude to the saint for the two events that, in collective memory, saved the town.

The two miracles remembered by the festival

The recurrence commemorates two events considered miraculous by the community. The first dates back to January 11, 1693: while the faithful were carrying the saint's relics in procession to implore an end to the earthquakes devastating eastern Sicily, a violent tremor struck the area, yet the population remained unscathed, attributing their safety to the patron's intercession. The second, from which the day takes its name, occurred on February 5, 1865: a lava flow from Mount Etna threatened the town and was halted in the Scorciavacca area after the statue and relics of Saint Leonard were carried in procession to the front of the incandescent lava in the countryside of Montargano. Since then, February 5th has been the day of thanksgiving.

Saint Leonard of Noblac, French patron of an Etnean village

Saint Leonard of Noblac, an abbot and hermit venerated throughout medieval Europe, is the patron saint of Mascali. The bond with France remains strong: in the past, the festival has seen the participation of the Confrérie de Saint Léonard de Noblat, twinned with the local confraternity, a sign of a cult that unites the Etnean village with the town in the Limousin region from which the saint takes his name.

Solemn Mass, Cantata, and procession

The heart of the day is the solemn Eucharistic celebration in the Mother Church of Saint Leonard the Abbot, often presided over by the bishop and animated by the confraternities. This is followed by the traditional Cantata in honor of the saint and the procession of the statue through the town streets, accompanied by confraternities, the faithful, and the marching band, while fireworks salute the departure of the processional float. Upon returning to the church, the archpriest imparts a blessing with the sacred relics; the statue is then displayed on the high altar for the following eight days.

The Treasure of Saint Leonard and the reliquary arm

The Mother Church houses the precious statue of the saint, which bears the chain with shackles and the pastoral staff, and the so-called Treasure of Saint Leonard, consisting of silver furnishings and gold votive offerings donated by the faithful over the centuries. Among the relics, the reliquary arm stands out, which also plays a leading role in the peregrinatio through the homes of the people of Mascali that precedes the festivities.

A tradition that withstands eruptions

Visiting Mascali on February 5th means immersing oneself in the most authentic soul of a village that, destroyed by the devastating eruption of 1928 and rebuilt nearby, has managed to keep its bond with its patron saint intact. The Saint Leonard festival and the historic Fair that accompanies it are now inscribed in the REIS, the Registry of Intangible Heritage of Sicily, in recognition of their identity value. The main patronal feast, distinct from this recurrence, is celebrated around November 6th.