A veil of mystery has always hovered over the town of Casteltermini, around which many traditions have been built which are still among the protagonists of the area today.
There are numerous suggestions that revolve around this ancient seventeenth-century hamlet, although most of these share the same origin, i.e. the Legend of the Tatarata.
There are several theories about the Tataratà, all very fascinating, and with this article we want to introduce you to what is probably the most fascinating aspect of the village of Casteltermini.
The wooden cross of Casteltermini
The facts that revolve around Casteltermini seem to be much older than the foundation of the hamlet itself, which took place in 1629.
In fact, it seems that this territory was crossed by shepherds who brought their flocks here to graze. A legend has it that some cows used to detach themselves from their herd to always reach the same point, where they knelt down.
A shepherd, intrigued by this recurring gesture, decided to dig in that very spot, to shed light on this mystery. He actually managed to find some answers, as he found one Wooden cross dated to 70 AD
After finding the Casteltermini wooden cross, an event judged as miraculous, a hermitage was built to commemorate this episode, as well as being able to make it a destination for pilgrimage.
The Feast of Santa Croce in Casteltermini
The discovery of this wooden cross was the beginning of a centuries-old recurrence that is still repeated every year today. It's about the Feast of the Holy Cross, an event in Casteltermini that intends to bring back the glories of the past to the present day, repeating the ancient traditions to make them indelible.
With the Feast of Santa Croce in Casteltermini, in fact, the ancient ones are re-proposed seventeenth-century clothes, traditional dances and shows that will show you how the various cultures have followed one another Sicilia have been able to enrich the history of the island.
The Birth of the Tataratàs
Today, the term "Tatarata” is attributed to those young people who wear seventeenth-century clothes and who perform the traditional Battle of the Tataratasarmed with iron swords. This is not a real fight, of course, but one choreography, like a ballad performed to the rhythm of drums.
Just come on drum it seems that the origin of this word derives, from onomatopoeic rhythm which derives from the incessant beating of the sticks on these.
According to another theory, with Tataratà we could mean a traditional one dance which was carried out as propitiatory rite to make the earth fertile. From here it could be deduced that there is a reference to the current choreography that is performed on the occasion of the Feast of Santa Croce.
