Feast of Our Lady of the Snow in Giarratana

In Giarratana, from July 28 to August 5, the celebrations in honor of the Madonna della Neve, Patroness and Queen of the city, take place. It is a festival deeply felt by the population: the cult of the Madonna della Neve has remote origins, the Virgin was also venerated in the ancient town of Terravecchia.
The celebrations begin on July 28th when the venerated statue of the Patroness is deposed by the high chapel of the main altar and arranged for the first veneration.
On August 5, the day of the festival, the city wakes up with the sound of bells, followed by the roar of firecrackers and the notes of the musical band that parades through the streets of the center. At noon, at the end of the Solemn Eucharistic Celebration at the Basilica of Sant'Antonio Abate, announced by the blast of the Egyptian trumpets and accompanied by the launch of gusts of "Nzaiareddi", that is colored strips of paper, the traditional "sciuta" takes place, that is "exit" of the simulacrum. The procession winds through the streets of the center to the Church of San Bartolomeo Apostolo, where the Angelus Domini prayer is celebrated, and then heads to the Mother Church. In the evening at dusk, a second procession that, from the Mother Church, accompanies the Simulacrum of the beloved Patroness back to the Basilica of Sant'Antonio Abate with the traditional and moving return of the Simulacrum on the shoulder. The festivities close with spectacular firework entertainment.

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