The celebration of Saint Joseph in Calamonaci, as is traditional in many Sicilian towns, follows the classic ritual of the altar’s preparation, the abundance of food, the ritual bread, the banquet, and the dramatized representation of the Holy Family. In this case, the ritual assumes a collective character, where any prummisioni or ex-votos are fused into a single ceremonial prepared by the entire community.
Generally, the celebration is organized by the parish council, but it is also possible for a “governor” to take charge, together with the parish, either in fulfilment of an ex-voto or due to a personal plea for a granted grace. In all cases, the organizational responsibility is shared and spontaneous: when there is a governor, they take on the task of forming an organizing committee alongside the parish, yet the entire community feels a duty to contribute.
The preparation of the single collective altar, along with the banquet table, is handled by the parish committee and usually takes place in the parish premises or another larger space made available by a devotee or the festival’s governor. The setup—often requiring up to a week of preparation—is highly scenic, U-shaped, with lights, small liturgical objects like candlesticks and missals, and icons of the Saint, the Holy Family, Jesus, and the three saints of the town’s patronal feast (S. Vincenzo Ferreri, S. Michele Arcangelo e S. Giovanni Battista).
On the table, ritual breads of various shapes are displayed—some symbolically referring to Saint Joseph, such as his staff or carpenter tools, others to Catholic liturgy—along with various dishes made from simple ingredients and sweets of different kinds.
In the morning, there is a procession of children portraying the Holy Family and the twelve apostles, selected by the parish from among school-age children; the procession follows the saints’ traditional route, featuring the classic enactment of the tuppuliata ai funnaci, in which the Holy Family is denied lodging. The procession ends at the altar, where symbolically the Holy Family finally finds hospitality. Once the altar is opened, a table is revealed, richly set for the children portraying the sacred figures, who are then served lunch.
Notably, the statue of Saint Joseph remains positioned inside the altar throughout the day, until the evening procession. After the sacred family and the apostles have eaten, the traditional Saint Joseph’s soup (Li virgineddi di San Giuseppi, referring to the innocence of the child actors) is prepared outside the altar site. It consists of pasta and rice seasoned with dried fava beans, wild fennel, broccoli, cabbage, and other vegetables available for the occasion. Along with pasta dressed with breadcrumbs, the soup is consumed collectively by the community, alongside other dishes brought by attendees.
The ritual continues in the evening with the traditional procession along the saints’ route, mirroring that of the patron San Vincenzo Ferreri, including stops for monetary offerings and repeated cries of Viva lu patriarca San Giuseppi by the bearers of the vara (the saint’s platform). Notably, the vara used is often the one belonging to the patron saint.

 

This element has been included in the Register of Intangible Heritage of local interest of the Municipality of Calamonaci, as part of Intervention 6 “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 “ Metasicani effetto farfalla” 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: J79I22000180006.