Saint Mary Magdalene Festival

The patron saint of Alimena

In the Madonie village of Alimena, in the province of Palermo, the Saint Mary Magdalene Festival is the most anticipated event of the year. Although the saint's liturgical feast day falls on July 22nd, the celebrations were moved to September 1st to accommodate workers busy with the harvest season and to support the historic livestock fair. Devotion to the Magdalene has been passed down through generations of Alimenese people and is considered one of the most deeply felt and well-attended events in the Sicilian hinterland.

The days of the festival

The festival traditionally takes place from August 30th to September 1st, preceded by three days of preparatory rites—vespers, masses, and sermons—held in the Mother Church. The days alternate between religious moments and entertainment: in the morning, the village is awakened by the traditional alborata (morning wake-up call), while the brass band enlivens the town center with symphonic marches. Among the most popular events is the "Corrida" on August 30th, a talent show and fun evening highly anticipated by the locals.

The procession of the statue

The climax is reached on the evening of September 1st, with the solemn procession in honor of the patron saint. The statue, an 18th-century effigy depicted in a long pink dress partially covered by a green cloak and holding a skull, is carried through the streets of the town. In the past, the statue was paraded on a fine vara (float) shaped like a small chapel, upon which the faithful would place monetary offerings and jewelry as ex-votos. The procession is led by confraternities in traditional attire with lit torches, followed by civil and religious authorities, the band, and a multitude of devotees reciting the rosary and singing sacred hymns.

The fair and the final concert

Throughout the festivities, from August 29th to September 2nd, the main streets of the town—via Palermo, via Roma, via Catania, and the central via Vittorio Emanuele—are filled with fair stalls selling all kinds of goods, which originally served as a large market dedicated to livestock. The festival concludes in Piazza Antonio Alimena with a grand pop music concert in the evening, attracting people from neighboring towns and even distant centers, followed by a fireworks display.

A village in the Madonie

Visiting Alimena during the festival means discovering an authentic village in the Madonie Park, where religious tradition and popular conviviality merge. The Alimenese calendar is also rich in other events—from Holy Week with its "lamenti" to the Prickly Pear Festival in September—but it is around Saint Mary Magdalene that the entire community comes together.