Feast of San Nicola in Gioiosa Marea

The Feast of San Nicola in Gioiosa Marea is celebrated on the day of the Octave of Easter, i.e. the Monday following Sunday in Albis. On this day the transfer of the simulacrum of San Nicola, Patron Saint of the town, to the new city of Gioiosa Marea is commemorated, which was transferred on that occasion from the mountain to the plain following the earthquake of 1783.
The culminating moment of the festivities is the solemn procession during which the simulacrum of the Patron Saint is carried on shoulders through the streets of Gioiosa Marea, accompanied by the simulacra of the Madonna delle Grazie and San Giuseppe. A particularity of this procession is the presence of the virgineddi, i.e. children between the ages of four and six, who take part in the procession.

The celebrations in honor of the Patron Saint also take place on 6 December, on the occasion of the liturgical anniversary, and include the solemn procession of the Simulacrum of Saint Nicholas and the tasting of the traditional Sweet of Saint Nicholas.