San Biagio Festival

The patronal feast of Motta Camastra

The San Biagio Festival is the most cherished religious celebration in Motta Camastra, a small medieval village perched above the Alcantara Valley in the province of Messina, in the heart of the Ionian Sicily. Every year, on February 3rd, the community gathers to honor Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, revered as the protector of the throat, in a day that weaves together faith, tradition, and the village's identity.

The day's program

The celebrations take place at the Parish of San Michele Arcangelo, on Via Chiesa Madre, the spiritual heart of the village. The day includes liturgical services and a solemn mass, followed by one of the most characteristic moments of popular devotion: the blessing of the throat. According to the traditional rite, the priest places two crossed candles against the throats of the faithful, a gesture recalling the episode in which Bishop Blaise miraculously saved a child from a fish bone stuck in his throat.

The procession through the village alleys

The most anticipated moment is the procession of the statue of San Biagio, which winds through the traditional streets of the historic center, accompanied by the faithful. Amidst the tightly packed houses and the winding alleys that define this ancient village, the saint's statue is carried in a pageant until it returns to the mother church, closing the day in an atmosphere of deep devotion and community sharing.

A village in the Alcantara Valley

Motta Camastra is one of the most evocative towns in the Messina area: its territory, in the Ladreria-Sciara district, houses the famous Alcantara Gorges, a canyon of basalt prisms carved by the river into the lava of Mount Etna. The village, also known as one of the historic settings for Sicilian cinema, retains the charm of a medieval town. The San Biagio Festival represents a vital identity-building occasion for this small community, capable of drawing back emigrants and locals living far from their hometown.

Tradition and popular devotion

• Solemn mass and liturgical services in the mother church
• Traditional blessing of the throat with crossed candles
• Evening procession of the statue through the historic center
• Moments of community gathering and sharing

A free event open to everyone, designed for the faithful, citizens, families, tourists, and enthusiasts of Sicilian religious traditions.