Settenario and Ottavario of Maria SS. Addolorata

The Marian festival in the heart of Comiso

The Settenario and Ottavario of Maria SS. Addolorata is the most important Marian festival in Comiso, a Baroque town in the province of Ragusa nestled between the Iblean mountains and the Ragusa plains. For over a century, devotion to the Addolorata has marked the religious and social life of the Comiso community: the celebration, originally held before Palm Sunday, was moved to the third Sunday of May in 1910, giving the festival its current spring character.

Settenario and Ottavario: two weeks of celebrations

The solemnities are divided into two phases. The Settenario opens the cycle: every evening, starting at 6:30 PM, the Holy Rosary is recited with the May coronet, followed at 7:00 PM by the Eucharistic celebration. At the end of each mass, the moment most awaited by the faithful resonates: the singing of the Sittina. After the main feast day, the Ottavario extends the celebrations with masses, meetings, and cultural events between the Mother Church and Piazza Fonte Diana, the town's monumental heart.

The Sittina, song of the seven swords

The Sittina is a traditional dialect chant dedicated to the seven swords of the Virgin's sorrow. Composed with lyrics by Jesuit father Arcangelo Cordaro and set to music passed down through the years, it is performed by local tenors and singers with organ accompaniment. It is one of the strongest identity markers of the Comiso festival, blending popular faith with the traditional musical heritage of the Iblei.

The procession of the statue

The climax is the procession: the 18th-century statue of the Blessed Virgin Addolorata leaves the church in the late afternoon and makes its solemn entrance into Piazza Fonte Diana, greeted by a children's choir singing the hymn of the Addolorata. The procession then winds through some of the most representative streets and churches of the historic center: San Biagio, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the Church of San Giuseppe, the Maria Santissima Annunziata parish, the Church of the Grazie, and the Sanctuary of the Immaculate. The return in the evening is accompanied by a fireworks display.

Traditions, gifts, and flavors

• Collection of gifts: accompanied by the "Kasmeneo" brass band and Sicilian carts, with proceeds donated to charity.
• Community gastronomic dinner, often coinciding with Mother's Day.
• Sweet Fair and Maria Russo Prize, an award for the best-decorated table.
• Illuminations and symphonic marches that enliven the historic center for the duration of the festival.

Comiso and the Iblei in celebration

Visiting Comiso during the Addolorata festival means discovering an authentic corner of southeastern Sicily, where Baroque churches, Marian devotion, and popular conviviality merge. It is an event that involves parishes, schools, and associations, reflecting a community that has renewed its bond with the Addolorata for generations.