Feast of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Gela
The feast in honor of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Gela is celebrated on 2 July with a solemn procession of the nineteenth-century simulacrum representing the Virgin with the Child Jesus.
The feast is preceded by a solemn novenary, from 23 June to 1 July , on the occasion of which the people turn to Our Lady through the prayer of the "Chaplet" and participate in the Eucharistic celebration.
Day 2 the celebrations begin with the morning mass and the midday "male", that is the "barrels" . The faithful, in addition to the "promise of the barefoot journey" for the graces received, bear large votive candles decorated and garlanded as a sign of homage: "the cannili". The solemn procession takes place in the early afternoon. The procession stops several times so that the faithful can cast their "vote". The blessing of children also takes place: there is continuous undressing of children who are raised to the sky under the statue of the Madonna. The children's clothes, offered to the Madonna delle Grazie, will then be bought back by the parents and the donations made are destined for the poor of the city. The procession ends late in the evening with the return of the simulacrum to the church and the fireworks at sea.
The feast is preceded by a solemn novenary, from 23 June to 1 July , on the occasion of which the people turn to Our Lady through the prayer of the "Chaplet" and participate in the Eucharistic celebration.
Day 2 the celebrations begin with the morning mass and the midday "male", that is the "barrels" . The faithful, in addition to the "promise of the barefoot journey" for the graces received, bear large votive candles decorated and garlanded as a sign of homage: "the cannili". The solemn procession takes place in the early afternoon. The procession stops several times so that the faithful can cast their "vote". The blessing of children also takes place: there is continuous undressing of children who are raised to the sky under the statue of the Madonna. The children's clothes, offered to the Madonna delle Grazie, will then be bought back by the parents and the donations made are destined for the poor of the city. The procession ends late in the evening with the return of the simulacrum to the church and the fireworks at sea.
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References
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