The Carnival in Sicily

The Carnival is a festivity of ancient origins going back to the Athenian Dionysian festivity of the "Antesterie" as well as to that Hellenistic one based on the procession of the wagon-ship of Iside and that was carried out at the beginning of March, but also, and perhaps mainly, to the Latin "Saturnalia".

In our times the Carnival is the happy festivity that it is celebrated, accordingly to the Catholic tradition, before the beginning of the Lent.

The word Carnival comes from the Latin phrase "carnem levare" (to stop eating meat), popularly translated in "carnival" or "carnasciale", to indicate the last banquet made up of meats that was kept before the period of abstinence of the Lent.

The Carnival represents a lay festivity that distinguish itself clearly from whichever religious festivity.

It is a moment of absolute freedom and all becomes lawful. Any social difference vanishes in order to leave space to the masks, to the happiness, amusement and to the jokes.

The simple act to mask itself represents a way to unravel itself of just to behave differently.

The first historical citations about the Carnival in Sicily go back to 1600 and regard the city of Palermo.

Today the Carnival in Sicily is celebrated in every Sicilian city, assuming in each of them a different soul.

Castrofilippo - Ag

The desire of transgression and of jokes, typical of the period of Carnival, has in Castrofilippo a long tradition. For many years, perhaps for centuries, this desire expressed itself by means of the spontaneous organization of masked group... more about The Carnival of Castrofilippo.

Sciacca - Ag

The Carnival of Sciacca is probably one of the most important one among those occurring in Sicily. It has become a very important tourist event attracting thousands of tourists, as well as an occasion of divertimento and involvement for all the citizens of Sciacca. The very remarkable size of the allegorical wagons alomg with it has made of this event one of the most important Carnivals of Italy.

It dates back to 1800, when the festivity was the occasion to prepare and to embellish allegorical wagons and to give space to the joy, but also in order to dedicate itself to the "sins of the palate" stuffing oneself with wine, sausage, pasta and magnificent "cannoli".

Today the allegorical wagons, thanks to the involvement of architects, craftsmen and sculptors are very imposing structures representing in a satyrical way several famous personages of our times.

The manifestations begin on Fat Thursday with the delivery of the keys of the city to the local mask named "Peppe Nnappa" and they are concluded with the burning of the same mask decreeing to the end of the Carnival and the beginning of the Lent.

Acireale - Ct

ts origins date back to the XVI century and for 70 years to now, the Carnival of Acireale has been considered the most beautiful of Sicily. Once it was celebrated with throwing eggs and oranges but in the time it has become more and more refined. In the XVIII century were born the "abbatazzi" who gave a more cheerful impression to the manifestation... more about The Carnival of Acireale.

Bronte - Ct

Also in Bronte a parade of allegorical wagons and of masked groups crossing the city ways can be seen during Carnival, with the customary accompanyment of musical bands and much joy.

Belpasso - Ct

The Carnival of Belpasso is carried out with the union of the customary breach of the daily live and the institution of a joyful moment of joy along with several and distinguished moments like a recital of local dialectal poets in order then to continue with the customary one parade of masked groups representing several citizen cultural associations, in order then to conclude itself with the entire involvement of the masked people in the public public square so to listen some good live music and drag in the dances.

Misterbianco - Ct

In Misterbianco the Carnival week offers a real occasion of amusement and a way to breach from the daily life. In past times a musical band placed on a theater box cheered the participants to the festivity with glad musics: games were organized and the women fully masked, invited friends to dance.

Today the feast consists of a parade of more than seven hundred masks on Sunday of Carnival and on Fat Tuesday.

Paterṇ - Ct

Also in Paterṇ the Carnival is a pleasant city recurrence. Also in this case one can look at a parade of allegorical wagons and of the masked groups and to listen music along the city ways, but the custom has gotten lost to see women completely covered with with black capes and masks invitint to dance the men.

Antillo - Me

In occasion of Carnival the village transforms itself and becomes a theatre of jollity in redescovering its ancient tradition...more about The Carnival of Antillo.

Francavilla di Sicilia - Me

The festivity is characterized by songs and dances that involves the entire citizenship, the parades ones of the allegorical wagons, the personification of the Carnival in the mask of "His Mayesty", initially honored and then accompanied from the "Great Funeral Corteo" that serves in order to bury the same mask with to the period of divertimenti unbridle to you and licenziosi.

Novara di Sicilia - Me

The Carnival offers, in addition to the traditional feasts, also a race of the local shapes of the maiorchino cheese, a typical cheese pecorino of the country.

The race is carried out with the participation of several squares who compete rolling the shapes of the cheese of the weight of approximately twelve kilograms each along the city ways.

The event ends in a feast during which the maiorchino can be tasted, along with "ricotta" and "tuma", both sheep-milk derived cheeses.

Rod́ Milici - Me

Among so many ceremonials which occurs in the province of Messina surely is very important that one of The Carnival of the Months of the Year of Rodi' Milici, a so-called structured carnival with a very well fixed representative form.... more about The Carnival of Rod́ Milici.

Taormina - Me

The Carnival in Taormina offers various feasts which the realization of the allegorical wagons, feasts kept in the main public square and singing contests and various plays varies like the "tree of the abundance" and dances.

Saponara - Me

The festivity offers an involving parade of the traditional allegorical wagons. The culminating moment of the festivity occurs on Fat Tuesday when all the citizenship is been involved in the "Corteo of the Bear and the Principescal Court".

In the collective memory the event refers to an historical event. The Prince Domenico Alliata di Villafranca and his wife Victoria Di Giovanni, baroness of Saponara, reigned in XVIII-th century: in that time a feracious bear threatened the citizenship. The prince guaranteed the capture of the bear and in order to reassure the citizenship of the escaped danger and on the his protection he chained the beast and lead it along the city streets. Today the event is the cue in order to carry out a satirical disguise and a burlesque fulcrum of the Carnival and that also serves to exorcise ancient fears.

Casteldaccia - Pa

Carnival has always represented one of the most famous and awaited festivals of the small town... more about The Carnival of Casteldaccia.

Corleone - Pa

The Carnival of Corleone has like symbol the mask of "Riavulicchio", symbol of the rebirth of the corleonese festivity and of the popular requirement of amusement and willing of breacking the daily life. Today the festivity offers the participation of the musical band, the trophy of the quarters assigned to the group that better than every other builds an allegorical wagon, the paradeo of the same allegorical wagons carried on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. As a conclusive moment, a dance in hold in the public public square close to the Municipal Palace.

The conclusive moment of the manifestation consists of burning the "Nannu", the puppet representing the Carnival and whose die represents the end of an age of amusement and jokes.

Before to be burned, the "Nannu" reads its last wills from the balcony of the Municipal Palace, under the eyes of the participants to the festivity, then it receives a sausage necklace and then the puppet is burned.

Palermo - Pa

Accordingly to its glorious past the Carnival in Palermo shows the presence of baroque customs, allegorical horse races and comedies represented in the public squares. The Carnival of Palermo knew its period of greater splendor around 1700, when the festivity involved all indeed, from the noble ones to the most humiles people.

All the city, and expecially the main streets like the "Cassaro" and the "Strada Nuova" were theatre of the feasts and of the so called "Carrozzate", parades of coaches where took place the noblemen that loved to stir with the people for living in first person the festivity.

Today, the palermitana festivity of the Carnival is also a way to rediscover the memories and the ancient traditions as well as to valorize the architectonic beauties of the place, because of the event occurs along the main streets if the city.

Termini Imerese - Pa

In Termini Imerese during the week of Carnival one can admire the parade of the allegorical wagons representing famous politicians or show business people. People dance, and at the end pf Carnival two puppets, named the "Nannu" and the "Nanna are burned on the public square, so marking the end of Carnival feast.

Palazzolo Acreide - Sr

The Carnival is celebrated for six days with parades of allegorical wagons, and of the typical Syracusan masks like the "cuturri". People dance and make jokes, and also stuffed itself with large amoiunts of pasta named "avatieddi" (paste flavored with tpomato sauce an pig meat), sausage and even trouts.

Chiaramonte Gulfi - Rg

Chiaramonte Gulfi celebrates the Carnival holding very present in all the feasts also the pleasures of the palate. The Carnival therefore is divided in parades of allegorical wagons carried out on Sunday and on Tuesday of Carnival. On monday evening the prize for the best made wagons occurs, along with a festival of the sausage.