Feast of the Madonna del Soccorso in Sciacca

The feast of the Madonna del Soccorso is celebrated in Sciacca on February 2 and August 15. The celebrations of February 2 recalling the miracle of liberation from the plague that loomed over the town. According to tradition, in 1626, the Madonna was carried in procession to free the town from the plague. When the procession reached the area of ​​the "Maestranza Piccola", the current Via Licata, a lightning bolt materialized from the clear and serene sky and suddenly a cloud of smoke was seen rising from the base of the Madonna. At that precise moment all the Saccensi were cured of the plague. In memory of that event, the traditional rite of "Smoke" takes place during the feast, a cloud of incense spreads in the air.
The day before the feast, February 1st, is for the devoted occasion of penance, fasting and a barefoot procession also takes place. The devotees renew the vow, pronounced on the day of the miracle by their ancestors, to make the pilgrimage. gold, silver and coral donated by devotees, carried on the shoulders of a hundred barefoot sailors. The procession heads to the place of the miracle, where incense is burned. The procession through the streets of the city of the simulacrum ends with the holy mass in the basilica.

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