Saint Rita Festival

A celebration born from popular devotion

The Saint Rita Festival is one of the most cherished events in the religious calendar of Milena, a small town in the Province of Caltanissetta, nestled in the agricultural heart of central Sicily. The celebration takes place at Villaggio Masaniello, one of the characteristic rural hamlets of Milena that locals have always called Robba Ranni, centered around the small church of Saint Isidore.

The festival's origins date back to the late 1970s. It was Mrs. Emanuela Serrao, a devotee of the saint of the impossible who had received a grace, who initiated the fundraising to commission the statue of the saint. In June 1978, the statue made its solemn entrance before a crowd of faithful, first in the mother church and then in the village church: since then, every year on the last Sunday of May, the local committee organizes the festivities.

Festival traditions

The Saint Rita Festival maintains a deeply religious and popular character. The heart of the devotion is the blessing of the roses, the flower symbolizing the saint: the faithful bring roses to the church, which, once blessed, are kept in their homes as a sign of protection. There is no shortage of traditional sweets, the small "Saint Rita roses", prepared in the shape of a rose, blessed, and distributed to those present.

• Holy masses and liturgical rites dedicated to the saint
• Blessing of the roses brought by the faithful
• Traditional rose-shaped pastries
• Afternoon procession of the statue through the village streets
• Evening musical show and final fireworks display

The procession carried by women

The most evocative moment is the afternoon procession: the statue of Saint Rita is carried on shoulders, according to a unique local custom, exclusively by women, as it winds through the entire Villaggio Masaniello amidst the moving participation of the inhabitants. As evening falls, the festival continues with a musical performance that precedes the traditional fireworks, the grand finale of the festivities.

Milena and its 'robbe'

Visiting the Saint Rita Festival is an opportunity to discover an authentic corner of inland Sicily. Milena, founded in 1923 under the name Milocca, is a town in the Caltanissetta hinterland characterized by its robbe, small rural clusters scattered across the countryside cultivated with wheat, vines, almond trees, and legumes. In this hilly landscape, the Robba Ranni festival represents a meeting point for the entire community and for the many emigrants who return to the town for the occasion.