Saint Theodore Festival – Pannuse Procession

A centuries-old tradition in the heart of the Nebrodi mountains

Every second Sunday of August, the small village of Sorrentini, in the municipality of Patti (province of Messina), becomes the stage for one of the most intense patronal festivals in Sicily. The protagonist is Saint Theodore the Martyr, the village's patron: according to tradition, he was a Roman soldier condemned to the stake around 303 AD for setting fire to the temple of the goddess Cybele. Tied to the stake as the flames consumed him, he continued to sing praises to God. From this martyrdom in fire, the two rituals that make the festival unique were born: the Pannuse procession and the Dance of the Saint.

The Pannuse: dancing around the fire

The Pannuse are large torches made of ddisa (ampelodesmos, a spontaneous dried grass), standing about two meters tall. On the Friday and Saturday preceding the festival Sunday, the faithful carry them in a procession between two wings of the crowd; once they reach the churchyard of the Mother Church, the torches are lit and piled in the center of the square to form a large bonfire. Around the flames, the ballatella erupts—a dance with a rhythmic beat played by the brass band, reminiscent of the ancient dance of the possessed.

The dancing Saint

The heart of Sunday is the Dance of the Saint: after the solemn mass, the statue of Saint Theodore, placed on its processional float, is made to "dance" first inside the church and then through the streets of the village, swaying rhythmically from side to side to the sound of the band, while the collection of offerings takes place house by house until late at night. On Saturday, the procession features the Saint's relics, carried in a reliquary accompanied by the clergy and the confraternity of Saint Theodore.

Popular faith and pilgrimage

Saint Theodore was invoked as a saint capable of casting out demons: for this reason, in the past, the festival attracted spiritati (the possessed) and the sick to Sorrentini from not only Sicily but also nearby Calabria, who followed the procession in the hope of obtaining healing. An ancient devotion that still makes the festival a deeply felt event for the entire community of Patti and the Nebrodi villages.

A village to discover

Attending the Saint Theodore Festival also means discovering Sorrentini and the territory of Patti, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Gulf between the sea and the Nebrodi mountains. The festival, marked by music, processions, and moments of intense popular participation, is the ideal opportunity to experience one of the most authentic expressions of Sicilian religious folklore up close.