Culture

The Greeks, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians and Spanish have successively ruled the island of Sicily through its existence. They imposed their culture upon the people, ensuring uniformity and thereby maintaining control. The result of this was that foreign cultures not only influenced Sicily but they became an integral part of Sicilian culture.

Most Sicilians believe that the Roman Goddess of Love - Venus was born on their island and thus bestowed the island with a civilized existence. There are many peculiarities of the island, most prominent among them the emblem of the autonomous island called the Trinacria or Sicilia. The Trinacria is basically a female head at the center of three intersecting legs - weird but not entirely pointless. It is said that the Greek used this symbol to represent the island because the shape was reminiscent of the triangular (Trinacris itself means triangle) shape of the island. The origin of legs and a female head is a little more whimsical since it is said that the island is as beautiful as a women's legs. The head was supposed to be that of Medusa - the mythological figure with snakes for hair and a stare that could turn you to stone. The face was replaced with a less extraordinary one for obvious reasons.

The Sicilian pace of life is decidedly easy and non-chalant. The society is also strongly male-dominated and geriatric. A lot of Sicilians live longer than mo0st communities. International institutes are currently spewing out a lot of funds to discover the Sicilian secret of longevity. Besides being slow, old and orthodox, the Sicilians are also superstitious. They have a number of beliefs. One of them is that if people don't leave by the same door they entered, they bring bad luck, another is never to place new shoes on the kitchen table and yet another never to gift pearls to people. Naming children is another whimsical notion and if children aren't being named after Saints they are being named after members of their own family members.

One of the main reasons most people know Sicily because of the Sicilian Mafia. Also called ‘this thing of ours' (La Cosa Notra), the Mafia is the child of the rampant political corruption that has characterized Sicily for much of its modern existence. The term ‘Mafia' used in place of ‘gangs' or ‘mobsters' implies a very organized, business-like structure working with absolute professionalism in crime. The Mafia is very deeply rooted in Sicily and its operations are too widespread to be completely documented. Nonetheless in recent years, the Sicilian and Italian governments have managed to exert some control over the situation.

A. Music

Sicily's music too is a very eclectic aspect of their culture. The traditional music cannot be classified in to any specific genre and much of it is a combination of various western, classical, Greek and Arab influences.

Christian music is an important feature of Sicilian music and is rendered in the form of basic vocals without and instrumental background, a style referred to as A capella.

The other main aspect of Sicilian music is the folk music that is a part of day-to-day life. There is a whole collection of folk songs that are sung during the harvest and those that have themes based on love, jealousy and other sentiments. There are prison and work songs that came out as an answer to the political regression and struggles of the Sicilian people. Most of the songs take the form of low tempo serenades, where melody is far more important than words. Another popular folk song type is that of lullabies.

Sicilian instruments have been the inspiration behind many modern instruments. The Chitarrino and Viola da gamba are believed by some to be the predecessors to the guitar. Percussion instruments took the form of clay drums called darabukka. The flute is also a very important instrument in Sicilian music.

Dancing is also an integral part of the Sicilian way of life and performed at various occasions like weddings, births and celebrations. The tarantella is one of the most popular dances of the region and its name; you guessed it, means tarantula. The dance involves movement in circles in a group. The tempo of the music and movement increases with every round. Other popular dances include the ‘fasola' and the ‘capona'.

B. Language

Obviously, for all applications and purposes, the official language of Sicily is Italian. Nonetheless, the local tongue called Sicilian is more prominent in the region.

Sicilian finds its origins in the crude forms of Greek and Latin, also incorporating aspects of Arabic, German, French and Catalan. It is not a derivative of Italian and considered by most ethnologists to be a separate language.

Another popular language in the region is Albanian, which has seen a recent rise in the number of speakers due to a large influx of refugees.

C. Religious Practices

Like most of Europe, Sicily was heavily Christianized during the medieval ages. But however, unlike most other states, native beliefs and practices survive till date. Today, the Sicilian society is a multi-religious one with a large number of atheists.

The larger part of Sicily is Roman Catholic and quite a few are Protestants. As such, Christian beliefs and celebrations predominate the religious scene. The influence of evangelical Saints is also largely felt since the Sicilians have many occasions to commemorate their Saints. The most prominent of these celebrations is Name Day or the Feast of Saints when a large number of children are baptized and named after Saints. Practices like lighting a candle in Church for the sick, or burying statues of Saints in the yard for fortune are some quaint features of Sicilian religion.

The Christmas celebrations too are very religious with almost non-existent commercialization. On this day, children write letters of love and gratitude to their parent and these are read out before supper. There is a bittersweet belief around the gift-giving aspect of Christmas. It stands that an old lady who gave directions to the three kings looking for the stable where the Christ was born, got lost when looking for it. She was carrying her dead child's toys for the Infant and till this day roams about giving toys to the children that personify the virtues of goodness.

Historically, the Greeks and Romans had a very similar polytheistic approach to faith. The worship of Gods and Goddesses disappeared for most of the Medieval Ages, but is now resurfacing in the form of the Streghe. The word itself implies ‘witchcraft', but Streghe should not be confused for a form of Satanism or demon-worship. It's just that the Streghe emphasizes the role of many Gods as opposed to one.

Other prominent faiths in Sicily include Judaism and Islam.

D. Major Events

January

Byzantine Epiphany Celebrations

Date: 6th January

Location: Piana degli Albanesi and the Martorana Church Palermo.

This is basically a celebration of the Ephipany of lastday of Christmas comprising eastern liturgy rites.

San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian)

Date: 20 January

Location: Acireale.

A celebration of the matyrdom of St. Sebastian.

February

Almond blossom festival (Sagra del Mandorlo)

Date: 1-15th of February

Location: Agrigento.

This is a folk festival commemorated in Agrigento's famous Valley of the Temples. It typically celebrates the harvest through craft exhibits, citywide parades and talent shows.

Feast of Saint Agatha (Sant'Agata)

Date: 5th February

Location: Catania.

St Agatha is the patron saint of Catatonia and has recently been declared the saint of breast cancer patients. This is her celebration that takes the form of processions and exhibitions.

Carnival Week

Date: 40 days prior to Easter

Location: Sciacca, Acireale, Termini Imerese.

Think of this celebration as the Sicilian version of the Mardi gras. It features various parades with elaborate floats, actors and actresses performing on the street and a large number of games and of course food.

March

Feast of Saint Joseph

Date: 19 March

Location: Throughout

This is the time to eat with many dishes being especially prepared in restaurants and homes to commemorate the saint.

Good Friday

Location: Piana degli Albanesi, Alcamo, Enna, Marsala, Milazzo.

Religious ceremonies, processions and passion plays are held.

April

Sagra della Ricotta (Ricotta Festival) / St Mark's Day / Liberation Day

Date: 25 April

Location: Vizzini.

May

Sicilian Carriage Festival

Date: 1-3 May

Location: Taormina.

This is again an arts and crafts celebration with horse carts being exhibited.

Primavera Barocca (Baroque Spring Festival)

Date: 1-15 May

Location: Noto

An ancient spring celebration, now Christianized.

Feast of Saint George

Date: Last Sunday of May

Location: Ragusa.

A large fireworks display

July

Taormina Film Festival

Date: Variable

Location: Taormina

First came Cannes then Venice and now the cinemas festival is on in Taormina

Feast of Saint Rosalie

Date: Variable

Location: Palermo

A lot of festivities including processions, plays, fests and fireworks are held in the Capital.

Date: 24-25 July

Location: Caltagirone

St Giacomo Festival, when people light the city with candles

Location: Segesta and Siracusa

Beginning of ancient drama performances at the Greek amphitheatre

Renaissance Music Festival

Date: Later part of July

Location: Erice

August

Holy Savior festivities

Date: 1-6 August

Location: Cefalù.

Feast of Madonna della Luce

Date: Variable

Location: Cefalù.

A boat procession off Cefalù's coast at night

Palio Normanno

Date: Variable

Jousts, equestrian shows and processions of knights and maidens

Parade of the giants

Date: Variable

Location: Messina

The city's mythological founders come alive through floats

Maritime Festival

Date: Variable

Location: Siracusa

Rowing race around Ortygia

Saint Bartholomew (San Bartolomeo) Festival

Date: 24 August

Location: Lipari.

September

Feast of Madonna della Luce

Date: 7-8 September

Location: Mistretta.

Floats, plays and costumes

Couscous Festival

Date: 25-30 September

Location: San Vito Lo Capo.

As the name suggest, a feast of Sicilian and North African cuisine

Festival of Holy Music

Date: October or November

Location: Monreale.

Churches fill up with chants and hymns, as do the various concert halls

December

Caltagirone

Exhibit of ceramic Nativity scenes

E. Etiquette / Do's and Don'ts

Do's

- Try and learn a few Italian terms to prevent confusion

- Refer to people with their appropriate title (Magistrate/Doctor/Professor)

- Avoid driving and use public transport instead

Don'ts

- Mistake the formal speech as impolite and cold

- Go nude on the beach