Giarratana is celebrating the feast of Maria Santissima della Neve, their patron saint. The day starts with 21 cannon shots and church bells ringing at 7 am to mark the occasion. The day’s events include a Eucharistic celebration at 7:30 am, followed by a parade in the city streets featuring musical performances by bands from Giarratana and Comiso. At 10:30 am, there will be a performance of symphonic marches in the square by the two bands. At 11 am, there will be a special church service presided over by Msgr. Giuseppe La Placa, the bishop of the diocese of Ragusa, accompanied by choir music. During the celebration, the City of Giarratana will be consecrated to the patronage of the Madonna della Neve and an ancient banner will be blessed.
At noon, there will be a grand procession through the streets featuring a sixteenth-century statue of the patron saint, accompanied by traditional drums and fireworks. A daytime fireworks display will be presented by the company D’Ampio Eventi from Mineo. The procession will then continue in front of the church of San Bartolomeo Apostolo and return to the Mother Church for a final prayer at 1:30 pm. In the afternoon, there will be another parade and musical performance by the band in the city streets at 5 pm, followed by a parade along Corso XX Settembre and Corso Umberto at 6 pm. This will be followed by a traditional dinner and auction of gifts at 6:30 pm.
At 8:30 pm, there will be another solemn church service, and at 9:30 pm, an evening procession will take place with the participation of civil and military authorities. The procession route will cover several streets that have been recently cleaned by the ecological company Busso Sebastiano. The day will end with the “A trasuta” tradition at 11:30 pm, featuring the return of the statue of the patron saint, accompanied by live singing and a re-enactment of a snowfall. Additionally, at 1 am in the Presti-Cianazzu district, there will be a spectacular fireworks display created by the company La Rosa international fireworks.
Source – https://www.lasicilia.it/ragusa/giarratana-e-giorno-di-festa-con-la-madonna-della-neve-2225370/
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