The celebration of Saint Joseph in San Biagio Platani is one of the most characteristic and evocative celebrations on the island, centred on the putative father of the Christ Child. It is a fusion of imagination and collective labour, profoundly religious in nature, and it faithfully preserves its traditional value from one generation to the next. It continues to bear witness to the enchanting charm of heartfelt spontaneity and the nobility of sentiment. Devotion and jubilation, gastronomic display and Christian charity blend together with rituals whose familial ties are clearly marked and deeply meaningful. Central to the Feast of Saint Joseph are the so-called “Saints”—three figures (Saint Joseph, lu Bamminu or Christ Child, and the Madonna), usually played by adolescents chosen from the town’s most underprivileged families. The selection of these figures is entrusted to the families who create the “cannistri”: architectural structures with a permanent frame, similar to canopies, dedicated to the figures of Saint Joseph, the Madonna, and the Child Jesus. Each year, the decoration of these cannistri changes, and they are filled with food, sweets, and other offerings (including money), meant to provide for the needs of the Saints. Originally, the possession and management of the cannistri belonged to three noble families. Over time, they passed into the hands of three local families who now preserve and inherit them across generations, with the option of passing them to other families if the lineage is broken. The celebration begins early in the morning with the “vestition” of the Saints, a rite carried out by a family that has inherited this role across generations. Once dressed, the Saints—accompanied by a procession and marching band—are brought to have breakfast at the Midulla-Adamo family home, which also holds hereditary responsibility for this part of the ritual. After breakfast, the collective ritual continues with a procession to the homes of the families responsible for the cannistri, which are then carried on shoulders and brought in procession to a platform that is accessed via the Midulla-Adamo family’s balcony. This is followed by the symbolic visit to the “funnaci”—former shelters for travellers—where the Saints are turned away by the owners, reenacting an ancient tradition. After this ritual, the Holy Mass is celebrated. At 3:30 p.m., the ritual resumes with the Saints’ meal on the platform where the cannistri are displayed. They eat the food offered by the devotees as a devotional promise, in collaboration with the Midulla-Adamo family. The celebration continues with a solemn procession during the evening and concludes with the handing over of the cannistri to the families of the Saints, who then distribute and consume the food and gifts placed inside. In addition to the main Saints’ meal, it may also happen that other families, out of prummisioni (a votive promise) or devotion to Saint Joseph, prepare meals for other “Saints” (that is, the poor) whom they have invited. The Feast of Saint Joseph in San Biagio Platani is a ritual unchanged and passed down through generations. Alongside the symbolic elements typical of Saint Joseph’s celebrations throughout Sicily—such as the exaltation of votive bread as a source of life, and the preparation of richly adorned tables—here the essential element is the invitation to a meal extended to poor families, selected either by designated families or by others for prummisioni.

Beyond the concept of prummisioni, the feast embodies the Christian glorification of the idea of hospitality. The act of welcoming becomes a collective rite — deeply engaging and defining for the entire community.

 

This element has been included in the Register of Intangible Heritage of local interest of the Municipality of San Biagio Platani, as part of Intervention 4 “Activation of the Observatory on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Territory through the application of the REIL methodology – Register of Intangible Heritage of Local Interest”, within the “RiGenerAzioni Archi di Piano 2030” project, funded by the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), Mission: Digitalisation, innovation, competitiveness, culture and tourism, Component: Tourism and culture 4.0, Investment 2.1 “Attractiveness of villages.” CUP: J29I22000110006.