A Look at Some Popular Sicilian Festivals

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By James Iozia

Sicilian festivals are important to the people of Sicily. While many revolve around religious holidays, carnivals are considered secular events. They are traditionally held in the week preceding the beginning of Lent. Originally the festivals were intended to use up fresh food, since Lent is a time of prayer and fasting.
Some of the more famous carnivals are held in the communes of Sciacca, Acireale and Termini Imerese. Those participating in these Sicilian festivals typically wear masks. While the masks worn in Italian carnivals are usually like those of Pulcinella or Brighella, traditional Sicilian masks are more characteristic of Jardinara or Varca, especially in the province of Palermo.

Sicilian Piazzas - An Important Part of Sicilian Culture

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By James Iozia


Sicilian piazzas are the locations for festivals, gatherings and shopping. A piazza is simply a Sicily town square, like that found in any traditional town. The squares are suitable for open markets, concerts, rallies and other events that could not be easily held in a field or an area of "soft" ground.
The word piazza is roughly equivalent to the Spanish word "plaza". In the US, shopping centers are often called plazas. In Ethiopia, the word is used to refer to any part of a city, not just gathering places. US homes built during the 19th century sometimes had long colonnaded porches and the port was called a piazza.

I Love Italian Travel - Sicily Carnevale Season

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Acireale, a city of about 50 thousand, is about fifty miles (eighty kilometers) north of Siracusa on the eastern coastline facing the Ionian Sea. This coast is called the Riviera dei Cilopi; according to Homer's Odyssey it was created when the blinded Cyclops Polyphemus flung boulders at the retreating Ulysses, creating spectacular rock pillars known as faraglioni. This great site hosts what is widely regarded as Sicily's finest Carnevale, one of the few that can compete with Venice's world-class offering.