Santa Croce Festival - Tataratà Festival
The historic Casteltermini festival blending faith, horses, and the armed Tataratà dance
About Tataratà Festival
The Santa Croce Festival and the Tataratà Festival
In the heart of the Agrigento province, the town of Casteltermini preserves one of the most fascinating and authentic traditions in all of Sicily: the Santa Croce Festival, known across the island as the Tataratà Festival. For four days, spanning the last Sunday of May and the beginning of June, the village transforms into an open-air theater where religious faith, historical memory, and folklore merge into a timeless collective ritual.
A history spanning over three centuries
The origins of the festival date back to 1667, a few decades after the town's founding (1629) by Baron Gian Vincenzo Maria Termini e Ferreri. According to tradition, the discovery of a wooden cross near the hermitage sparked the celebrations, which the ancient local guilds organized in the form passed down to this day. The original cross, damaged in the 1960s during a procession, was reinforced with iron bands; since 1970, a replica has been carried in procession on a characteristic ox-drawn cart.
The five historic guilds
The core identity of the event lies in the five Ceti (guilds), the ancient corporations that represent the social soul of the town:
- Real Maestranza — the noble guild, the only one to parade on horseback, tasked with retrieving the cross from the hermitage;
- Borgesi — the landowners and bourgeoisie;
- Pecorai — the shepherds;
- Celibi — the town's bachelors;
- Vurdunara — the farmers, who parade on richly caparisoned mules.
Each guild parades with its own banner, its own palio (standard), and its own brass band, creating sumptuous processions along Corso Umberto I, Piazza Duomo, and Via Roma.
The Tataratà, the sword dance
The most spectacular element of the festival is the Tataratà, an armed dance of Moorish origin interpreted as a Moresca, likely a remnant of an ancient spring fertility rite. The dancers, in costume, simulate a combat rhythmically accompanied by the steady beat of drums — from which the onomatopoeic name "tatarà-tà" derives — crossing swords in Piazza Duomo amidst the crowd's enthusiasm. Performances take place on Saturday and Sunday, the highlight of the entire celebration.
Between faith and folklore
Alongside the spectacle, the religious dimension remains central: the solemn processions of the relic, the parade of the cross-bearing cart, and the Holy Mass of thanksgiving. There is also a convivial side, with the traditional tasting of hard-boiled eggs, artichokes, and wine offered by the guilds in the town's alleyways. The central Sunday, with about four hundred horses in the parade, represents the moment of greatest participation.
A recognized heritage
Due to its anthropological and identity value, the Santa Croce Festival - Tataratà Festival is inscribed in the Registry of Intangible Heritage of Sicily (REIS), confirming its role as a living heritage of Sicilian culture. Visiting Casteltermini during the festival means immersing yourself in an authentic, non-touristy ritual, where an entire community renews its bond with history every year.
Tataratà Festival — edition 2026
The 359th edition of the Santa Croce Festival - Tataratà Festival was held in Casteltermini from May 28 to 31, 2026, with a liturgical appendix on June 1. For this occasion, the dates were postponed by one week compared to the traditional fourth Sunday of May, due to the coincidence with administrative elections.
The program featured the entry of the five guilds on Friday, accompanied by brass bands and the "Principi Termini e Ferreri" Historical Pageant, followed by the solemn procession of the relic. Saturday was dedicated to the Real Maestranza horse parade along Corso Umberto I and Piazza Duomo, the Tataratà performances, and the convivial gathering at the Santa Croce Hermitage. Sunday, the central day, brought together the five guilds, the historical pageant, and about four hundred horses, culminating in the final Tataratà performance and the final blessing.
Programme Tataratà Festival 2026
Friday, May 29
- 6:00 PM — Entry of the five guilds (Celibi, Pecorai, Borgesi, Vurdunara, Real Maestranza) with brass bands, the "Principi Termini e Ferreri" Historical Pageant, and the Tataratà group, from Via Giuseppe Verdi to Piazza Duomo, with a wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial.
- 8:00 PM — Solemn procession of the relic through the town streets, with a final blessing in Piazza Duomo.
- 11:00 PM — Guild auctions in Piazza Duomo.
Saturday, May 30
- 5:00 PM — Gathering of the Real Maestranza guild knights in Piazza SS. Madonna del Carmelo.
- 6:00 PM — Procession of the cross-bearing cart along Corso Umberto I, Piazza Duomo, and Via Roma.
- 6:30 PM — Tataratà performance in Piazza Duomo.
- 7:00 PM — Real Maestranza horse parade.
- Approx. 9:30 PM — New performance by the Tataratà group.
- 10:00 PM — Tasting of hard-boiled eggs, artichokes, and wine offered by the guilds at the Santa Croce Hermitage.
Sunday, May 31 (central day)
- 6:00 AM — Opening of the fair in Piazza Don Emanuele Samaritano.
- 10:30 AM — Procession with the relic, the five guilds, and the historical pageant from the Church of the Passion to the Mother Church.
- 6:30 PM — Real Maestranza, Historical Pageant, and Tataratà group accompany the cross-bearing cart.
- 7:00 PM — Tataratà performance in Piazza Duomo.
- 7:30 PM — Parade of the guilds with banners and standards along Corso Umberto, Piazza Duomo, and Via Roma.
- Approx. 10:30 PM — Final Tataratà performance and tastings in the "Valiciu" alleyways.
- Midnight — Final procession and solemn blessing in Piazza Duomo.
Monday, June 1
- 6:00 PM — Holy Mass of thanksgiving in the Mother Church.
Highlights Tataratà Festival 2026
- Performances of the Moorish-inspired armed Tataratà dance in Piazza Duomo
- Real Maestranza horse parade with about 400 horses
- Parades of the five historic guilds in costume with banners and standards
- Traditional tasting of hard-boiled eggs, artichokes, and wine offered by the guilds
Prices Tataratà Festival 2026
Practical information — Tataratà Festival
How to get there
Casteltermini is located in the hinterland of the Agrigento province, in Sicily. By car, it can be reached via the SS189 (Agrigento-Palermo) or the SS118. The nearest airports are Palermo "Falcone-Borsellino" and Catania "Fontanarossa", both about two hours away. The most convenient train station is Agrigento, from where you can continue by bus or car.
When
The festival traditionally takes place in late May, around the fourth Sunday of the month, for four days with a liturgical appendix.
Admission
The event takes place in the streets and squares of the historic center and is free to attend.
Tips
Arrive early to secure a good viewing spot in Piazza Duomo during the Tataratà performances. Wear comfortable footwear for walking around the historic center.
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Where does it take place — Tataratà Festival
Piazza Duomo e centro storico