Festa del Santissimo Salvatore della Trasfigurazione 2023

Festa del Santissimo Salvatore della Trasfigurazione 2023 will take place between Wednesday, August 2, and Sunday, August 6, 2023, in Cefalù.

The Feast of the Most Holy Savior of the Transfiguration is a religious feast dedicated to the patron saint of Cefalù, which is held every year between August 2 and 6. During these five days, farmers, who have just finished the harvest, find themselves resting and rejoicing.

SHORT HISTORY

The Transfiguration is a moment in the New Testament, when Christ and three of his apostles, Peter, James and John, go to a mountain, and the Son of God becomes radiant in glory, shining with bright rays of light.

In the Eastern world, the festivity of the Transfiguration can be traced back to the 4th century, when Empress Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, built the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, in Israel.

In Sicily, the Transfiguration is celebrated starting with the 12th century, and is closely linked to the Rogerian period. Only in 1457, in gratitude for the victory obtained in Belgrade by the Christian army against Turkey, Pope Callistus III also established the feast of the Transfiguration in the Western Europe.

The devotion of the city of Cefalù to the Most Holy Savior began with the construction of the Cathedral of Cefalù by the Norman King Roger II. In the Cathedral, the great evangelical event of the Transfiguration of Jesus is depicted by the magnificent mosaic of Christ Pantocrator.

The first information about the festivity of the Santissimo Salvatore can be found in a document of 1159, but the event that tied Cefalù to its patron saint in an indissoluble way is the violent earthquake of February 5, 1783, which shook the entire Sicily. However, Cefalù remained intact after the invocation of the Most Holy Savior.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

On August 2, the Feast of the Most Holy Savior will begin with a suggestive ceremony – the placing of the Flag of Christ Pantocrator between the two towers of the Cathedral.

On August 6, the last day of the feast, will take place a competition called Antinna a mari, organized by the fishermen of the town. In the competition, they try to conquer a white flag attached to the tip of a very long pole placed horizontally at sea, firmly fixed to the quay, made slippery with soap and grease.

In the late afternoon, the solemn procession of the Santissimo Salvatore will take place. At the end of the procession, Piazza Duomo will be crowded with believers and the Bishop’s speech will conclude the celebrations in honor of the Savior. The evening will end with a fireworks display on the seafront of Cefalù.