San Cono Festival (Patronal Feast)

The patronal feast of San Cono

The San Cono Festival is the heart of the identity of San Cono, a small village in the Erei Mountains in the province of Catania, known throughout Sicily as the "city of prickly pears". Celebrated every year on the second Sunday of May, the festival honors the Patron Saint with a popular devotion that has united the entire town for generations and attracts numerous pilgrims from neighboring municipalities.

A tradition dating back to 1866

The celebrations in honor of San Cono have been held continuously since 1866 and are deeply rooted in the history of the village, founded at the end of the 18th century by the Marquis Ottavio Trigona and linked from its origins to the cult of the Saint, a monk from Naso. For several weeks, the town dresses up for the occasion: the main square and the streets of the center are filled with illuminations, bells ring out, the brass band plays, and market stalls bring the streets to life.

The procession and the carriers' run

The most heartfelt moment is the procession of the Simulacrum of San Cono, donated by the inhabitants of San Cono who emigrated to Venezuela. On the eve of the feast, the fercolo is carried on shoulders from the church of San Cono to the Mother Church; on Sunday, after the Solemn Holy Mass, the vara (float) is placed in front of the church for the collection of offerings from the faithful, which are announced aloud along with the names of the donors, to which the people respond with the characteristic cry: "Viva Diu e Santu Conu".

The heavy simulacrum is then carried on shoulders through the town streets with its unmistakable gait, consisting of stretches covered at a fast pace: a true carriers' run that represents the most recognizable sign of the festival. The procession continues throughout the night, amidst prayers and songs, and concludes at midnight with a fireworks display.

The Octave

The devotion does not end in a single day: on the following Saturday and Sunday, the Octave is celebrated, during which similar events to those of the previous week are repeated, extending the atmosphere of celebration and reflection that characterizes the entire San Cono community.

San Cono and its territory

Nestled in the Erei Mountains at an altitude of over five hundred meters, San Cono is an agricultural village in Sicily famous for its intensive prickly pear cultivation. The patronal feast is the best opportunity to discover this authentic corner of the Catania hinterland, where faith, tradition, and folklore merge into a deeply identity-forming experience.