San Cono Festival

A patronal feast that has endured since 1866

In San Cono, a small town in the province of Catania nestled in the Sicilian hinterland on the border between the Calatino and Enna areas, the San Cono Festival is much more than a religious recurrence: it is the very identity of the town, which even takes its name from the Saint Abbot. Celebrations in his honor have been held uninterruptedly since 1866, every year on the second Sunday of May, marking the most anticipated moment for the entire community.

The legend of San Cono Abate

Tradition tells that during a famine, a monk from Naso, in the Nebrodi mountains, asked for grain from the nobleman who founded the village, leaving a ring as a pledge. Years later, the nobleman recognized the face of that monk in a painting depicting San Cono Abate in a church in Naso: from that episode, the cult of the Saint and the name of the town itself were born. Since then, San Cono has been venerated as the patron and protector of the community.

The procession and the 'vara' run

The heart of the festival is the procession of the statue, donated by San Cono emigrants in Venezuela. On the eve, Saturday, the statue is moved from the church of San Cono to the Mother Church. Throughout the night, thousands of faithful from neighboring towns fulfill their vows by reaching San Cono on foot, sometimes covering over twenty-five kilometers. On Sunday afternoon, the vara (the processional float) is hoisted onto the shoulders of the locals and carried through every street of the town in a characteristic run by the bearers, amidst shouted offerings and the choral response of the faithful: «Viva Diu e Santu Conu». The procession continues all night, and the statue only returns to the Mother Church when the bearers' strength is exhausted, after having visited every corner of the town.

The Octave, civil events, and gastronomy

The festival does not end in a single day: on the following Saturday and Sunday, the Octave is celebrated with events similar to those of the previous week. Along the streets, there is no shortage of brass bands, illuminations, market stalls, fireworks, and the coming and going of emigrants who return for the occasion. San Cono is also known as the «City of the Prickly Pear», a symbolic local product that accompanies the hospitality of these festive days.

An identity-defining event

For the village, the San Cono Festival represents above all a great moment of homecoming and cohesion: popular religiosity, faith, tradition, and folklore blend into an event deeply rooted in the fabric of the town and the entire interior of Sicily.