Practically all Sicily traditions revolve around or are in some way related to the church. Superstitions and celebrations are as much a part of the Sicilian culture as are the language, cuisine and art. Most Sicilians are devout Roman Catholics and very superstitious.
As a child I always heard these the most:
Don’t walk under the ladder
Don’t drink milk after eating a mango
Don’t cross after a black cat
But superstitions that were more widespread and heard as a young boy are as follows;
Most Sicilians view Friday the 13th, as a very unlucky day. It is believed that Christ was crucified on a Friday, October 13, 1307,
Going to the church and lighting a candle is a big part of Sicily culture. Prayers are always said for the sick and the dying, as well as the dead. This same practice is done by Catholics, but Italians would faithfully follow this same tradition.
Feasts are a big part of most Sicilian traditions and holidays, with good reason. Sicilian food is plentiful and delicious. Pastries, seafood, tomatoes, artichokes, olives, apricots and all varieties of fruits and vegetables grow well on the island. There are many noted wines that originate from Sicily. Wine accompanies most meals and celebrations.
Carnivals are a famous part of Sicily culture. Floats are large and decorative. Booths line the city squares during carnival. Other than the religious festivals of Easter, Christmas, and other holidays, carnivals are considered the most important events of the year.
The Trinacria:
The word Trinacria means “triangle” as for the shape of Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean. The Greeks called it Trinakrias, the Romans called it Trinacrium, meaning “star with 3 points”. Today it’s known as Sicily, or Sicilia in Italian.
The Sicilian Banner recently adopted by the region of Sicily has the Trinacria in its center on a shield of yellow gold and red-orange.
The symbol of Trinacria is well-known today because of its presence in the flag of Sicily and that of the Isle of Man. Its history is still a mystery since it connects with Greek mythology. The Trinacria, symbol of Sicily, is composed of the head of Gorgon, whose hair is interwoven snakes with wheat ears, from which of three folded legs up to the knee irradiate. Over the generations it has been modified so as not to be as frightening.
The Tarantella Dance:
The Tarantella Dance music is probably the most recognized song of all the Italian folklore music. It literally means “tarantula” because the dance is done by everyone in a great big circle going clockwise, until the music in the set changes, becomes faster, then they quickly change the direction to counterclockwise, this continues several times and is fun to see who keeps up. A change in this dance I noticed growing up was that at times, people would stop, and then the circle would come together, yell and go back to the original circle and start again. Other variations included making an arch with your partner’s arms and forming a tunnel in which other couples would start at one end and go to the other and then others would follow. I danced many of these growing up during Italian weddings in the 60’s & 70’s and the dance was done during Gina and Bruce’s wedding. Another dance of which I do not know where it came from, but was a tradition was forming a train as couples used their arms to attach themselves to the person in front of them and then follow the person at the front of the line (train) and just go wherever they decided to go. As the music continued it followed the same pattern as the Tarantella Dance in the fact that it would get faster and faster to see who could stay attached.
Picture copied from the internet, but exemplifies the dance used today.
Saint Name Day:
Name Day, or “Onomastico” is based on the Feast Days for Saints. Traditionally, Italians chose the names of their children based on the name of a grandparent. Choosing names from the father’s side of the family first and then from the mother’s side. Sometimes, children are named for Saints, typically for the Saint on which Feast Day they were born, but sometimes for a Saint for whom the parents feel a special connection. You can see the names on the family tree followed this tradition, but much of it stopped during my lifetime.
Sicilian Food:
Sicily is the most southern region of Italy. Some of the most famous Sicilian dishes you will find are Pasta con Sardine (pasta with sardine sauce); or pasta with olive oil, garlic, and cheese, Caponata (eggplant salad); this was a favorite of our mom and she made this often. I never really knew how to make it and wonder if one day I will come across a receipt for making the Caponata. Spaghetti (yes, spaghetti); and of course for the sweets we have Cannoli, Tiramisu and Cassata along with flan and rice pudding.
When it comes to pizza, Sicily rivals Naples. Sicilians like their pizza best when it is cooked in a wood burning oven. Even though Nonna never used a wood burning oven, she had a gas stove, (not sure about the oven) but made the best pizza and due to that, I really never enjoy eating pizza at restaurants. Be sure to look at the recipes given in the book and give them a try!
Engagements and arranged marriages:
Like many marriages in the “old world” (not just Italy), families would often arrange the marriage between a man and women. This was exemplified as with our Uncle Dominic and Grace with their arranged marriage.
There seems to be some controversy if Nonna and Nonno had an arranged marriage, I’m not really sure about this.
Deaths:
As I have mentioned before in a previous chapter, if someone died, morning usually was done for at least two weeks, no jokes, no music, no dancing or any other form of entertainment.
As time went on, cars would stop in the street during a funeral (that may not be a Sicilian tradition), but is one of many traditions that has stopped. Many listed above are lost in time to settle to the bottom of the sea.
A traditional Sicilian Christmas:
Christmas celebrations in Sicily begin in earnest on the 8th of December, when families traditionally start decorating their homes for the festive season. While Christmas trees are now common, it was only during the 2nd World War, (during the Allied occupation) that they first became popular.
A much more widespread custom is the Nativity scene. Invented, (so they say), by Saint Francis of Assisi.
Another wonderful tradition that can be seen in many small towns is the night of the Luminari on 24th December when large bonfires are lit to keep baby Jesus warm. Many neighborhoods, (some of which we have lived) would light candles in paper bags to celebrate this tradition. This was done when my own family on Manor Oak Drive, Valrico, FL.
There is no one particular dish that all Sicilians eat at Christmas. However, such important festivities call for tables and banquets of huge proportions. Serious eating begins on the evening of 24th December and continues for 24 hours. As might be expected (in the land of cassata and cannoli), sweets and desserts are of importance. The most traditional of these are: buccellati, large round biscuits filled with almonds, pistachios and dried fruits. Of course, our Italian sausage, olives, lunchmeat, and lasagna were always present. (Traditionally lasagna is supposed to bring good luck). Presents are opened after dinner on Christmas Eve and huge family gatherings are considered par for the course. We started with Christmas at Nonno’s after our own celebration where presents were opened in the morning, although, some family members did open Christmas Eve and some on Christmas Day. Wine and drinks were served although our family never considered it the main focus of the meal.
Greetings and Sayings:
Growing up there were many expressions that were common place. Most of them expressed friendship, care, and even love. These were sayings that were used by most of the Italians I knew growing up and never seemed to disappear during my early years. Here are some of the ones I remember most. Most of these were inspired to convey good will and sometimes to teach a lesson.
Fly by, pass quickly Volare
Good Moring Buongiorno
How are you? come stai
Good Night buonanotte
Do you want to eat? vuoi mangiare
Come in entrare
How is the family? come è la famiglia
Eat mangiare
Do you want more to eat? vuoi di più per mangiare
Welcome to the family Benvenuti nella famiglia
Like the mother like the daughter come la madre come la figlia
Mother mine mamma mia
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth A caval donato non si guarda in bocca
Give them a finger and they’ll take an arm A chi dai il dito si prende anche il braccio
Time is money Tempo è danaro
Better than nothing meglio di niente
Call me mi chiamano
Good luck buona fortuna
Bye or Hello ciao
Thank you, grazie
Ciao!
DS