Naro: “W Diu e San Calo’”, San Calogero esce dall’Arca. Al via i festeggiamenti del Santo Patrono!

The celebrations in honor of San Calogero, the patron saint, have begun in Naro. On June 15th, Mayor Milco Dalacchi opened the Ark, and to the cry of "Long live God and San Calo!" the saint was placed on the altar. Countless faithful attended the Holy Mass; devotion to San Calogero is immense! The Feast of San Calogero, the patron saint of Naro, is the most religious and heartfelt in the area. The proclamation of San Calogero as the patron saint of Naro dates back to 1626, the year in which the saint obtained the grace from God for the city to end the scourge of the plague. In 1693, a disastrous year for the whole of Sicily, due to the terrible earthquake that from January 9th to 11th destroyed more than sixty towns and killed sixty thousand people, Naro was spared, and the population recognized the clear protection of their great patron. On June 18th of each year, the highlight of the festival, the statue of the Black Saint is carried in procession from the church of San Calogero to the church of the Madrice on a cart (straula) pulled by the faithful using two 100-meter-long ropes. During the festival, votive bread is blessed and distributed—large loaves of bread resembling body parts, or children, depending on the grace received.