The Magic of Christmas

A month of festivities at the foot of Mount Etna

The Magic of Christmas is the calendar of Christmas events promoted by the Municipality of Mascalucia, a populous town in the Province of Catania nestled on the south-eastern slopes of Mount Etna, in Sicily. The festival accompanies residents and visitors from December 8th, the day of the Immaculate Conception, until the Epiphany on January 6th, transforming squares, municipal buildings, and the historic center into a sequence of lights, music, and tradition.

The artisan market in Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci

The heart of the event is the Christmas market set up in Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci, open to the public for most of December with continuous hours from morning until evening. The stalls offer Christmas-themed art and crafts alongside local agri-food products, with events dedicated to handmade goods such as Natal Art and PizzArt. Among the stalls, there is no shortage of entertainment for adults and children, with musical performances, dance shows, and animation.

Traditions, living nativity scene, and shows

The program alternates events spread across the territory: the lighting of the decorations and the tree in Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci with Christmas carols, gospel and pop music concerts, folk shows, Santa's House for the little ones, and the Christmas train in the historic center. Among the most anticipated events is the Living Nativity Scene, set up at Parco Trinità Manenti thanks to the commitment of local festival committees, which recreates scenes and trades of the Sicilian peasant tradition. The festivities conclude with the arrival of the Befana, who meets the children on Epiphany day.

A community Christmas

The festival also involves the hamlet of Massannunziata and various city spaces, from the San Nicolò Auditorium to the central squares, with concerts, intergenerational bingo nights, and charity initiatives. The Magic of Christmas is designed as a community event, free and open to all, which promotes the craftsmanship and popular traditions of the Etna area in the heart of the Province of Catania.