Do you want to feel the authentic atmosphere of Christmas ? Come to the Nebrodi!

After the appointment with the Festa di Santa Lucia and with its religious and gastronomic traditions , it is time to focus on the anniversary that brings together timeless charm and profound spirituality: Christmas!

Unique characteristics that on the Nebrodi are enhanced by a memory that is perpetuated and regenerated, among suggestive historical centers , ancient sounds and genuine flavors .

The rites of the Novena

It all begins with the Novena, a period of preparation and waiting for Christmas. Before dawn, between four and five in the morning, the shrill and unmistakable sound of the bagpipes invades the streets of Ficarra, San Marco d'Alunzio, Mirto, Cesarò, Longi, Galati Mamertino, but also Piraino, Gioiosa Marea, Sant'Agata Militello and Santo Stefano di Camastra . The "ciaramedda" calls the population together to invite them to participate in the religious service. It is a tradition inherited from time, when the peasants went to mass before going to work in the fields, a propitiatory rite and link between religiosity and the peasant world.

In the Mother Church of San Marco d'Alunzio, during the Novena, the music of the 18th century still resounds today, which enchanted the noble Filangeri family . But the "sonority of Christmas is a common and fascinating element of all the Nebrodi, with ancient lullabies, polyphonic songs and prayers that constitute a fundamental and" attractive "part of religious services.

Christmas Eve on the Nebrodi

A Tortorici, Longi, Ucria, Mistretta and other mountain centers, on Christmas Eve night, there is the custom of burning in the main square "u zuccu", a large stump of olive set to burn as a sign of purification and rebirth, while the < strong>"ciaramiddari" go around the alleys and receive sweets and liqueurs in exchange for their music.

The living nativity scenes in the historic centers

An atmosphere of great charm is experienced in historic centers such as Piraino, Militello Rosmarino or Montalbano Elicona which annually attract thousands of visitors in appointments that have now become historic and of great charm. The living nativity scenes that are organized in these localities in natural environments serve to enhance and revitalize suggestive locations: not only the magic of the Nativity, but a painstaking research that leads to to stage ancient crafts and to propose forgotten customs to visitors, to underline the desire to preserve a proud cultural identity .

The living nativity scene of Militello Rosmarino in 2018 it was declared a Manifestation of European Interest and included in the Italian Calendar of the European Year of Cultural Heritage.

The sweets of the Nebroidean Christmas tradition

The Christmas tradition, of course, moves to the kitchen with sweets which dominate the table of December 25, highlighting the , such as nuts, almonds and dried figs . The pasta reale of Tortorici, the "gnuccattuli" of San Fratello are just examples of very popular traditional sweets based on hazelnuts, such as the "carrobbisi" of Alcara Li Fusi prepared with a mixture of dried figs and mulled wine. But really on the Nebrodi every town has its own Christmas dessert, such as Militello Rosmarino's "pastizzottu" , the "sprigs" of Longi and the "giambellotti" of Motta d'Affermo.

Christmas on the Nebrodi is a 360-degree experience, to be lived among events with a strong symbolic charge and inevitable delights of pastry traditional Sicilian.

Giuseppe Pintaudi

Photo: AMV Idealab s.r.l. / ttattago.com / Antonino Bartuccio © 2019