Feast of the Madonna del Bosco in Buscemi

La feast of the Madonna del Bosco in Buscemi takes place every year August, usually thelast weekend of the month, and is the one dedicated to patron saint of the city. They are young people who have to pay homage to the patroness of their country and for this reason they reach the Sanctuary where the statue is located starting from the Mother Church of Buscemi with a banner and standards.

On the day of the festival in the early morning the sound of the bells accompanied by a few cannon shots, kick off the festivities which begin at half past nine with a procession.

Description of the Feast of the Madonna del Bosco

The nineteenth-century fercolo with the statue of the Madonna del Bosco, is taken out of the Sanctuary preceded by the musical band, by young people carrying the banners and by the faithful who, barefoot, hold a lit torch in their hands. The Buscemesi in charge of carrying the heavy fercolo in procession, do the vow of the nura sword, i.e. to go bare-chested carrying the statue by placing it on their bare shoulder.

Around ten o'clock the fercolo is anticipated at the entrance of Buscemi by a salvo of twenty-one cannon shots and the waiting faithful join the procession following the bearers who they will have to face running, a climb very steep and narrow, to the cry of "and call her ca na help evviva a Maronna", to ask the Madonna for help to face that effort.

The procession ends at half past one when the fercolo arrives at the Mother Church amidst the explosion of firecrackers, festive tolling of bells and the launch of colored balloons and streamers called 'nzareddi.

Another procession is held in the evening and passes through the most important streets of Buscemi, to respect the tradition of Feast of Our Lady of the Woods, which will see its end in the main square where there will be a musical show that anticipates the fireworks while the fercolo with the statue are brought back to the Sanctuary.

The story linked to the Feast of the Madonna del Bosco

La legend of the Madonna del Bosco di Buscemi he says that in one day like so many two mute friars arrived in Buscemi and, making themselves understood by the inhabitants, asked them for tools to be able to open a passage in the thick bush to find a very precious object. The men, as well as satisfying the requests of the two friars, followed them to help them in the enterprise and after laboriously opening a passage through the tangled vegetation, they found a clearing where there was a low wall on which the Madonna was painted. The image highlighted the Virgin sitting on a rock holding the earth with one hand and the Child Jesus was seated on her knee.

When all the inhabitants of Buscemi learned of what had happened, they went to pay homage to the sacred image by deciding to build a sanctuary but, in order to build it, they needed so much water that it was an element that was missing in the vicinity. It was then that the two friars made a gush of water gush from the earth and from that moment on, they disappeared silently. The Sanctuary was built but the earthquake of the late seventeenth century destroyed it as well as the rest of the town but, despite everything, the painting inexplicably remained intact.

The town was rebuilt in another location while the Sanctuary was rebuilt exactly where it was before and at the beginning of the XNUMXth century a statue identical to the painting was made and the Virgin, called Madonna del Bosco, was proclaimed patroness of the town by popular will .

Although the Sanctuary it remains one kilometer from Buscemi, however it is the destination of many faithful.

When the Feast of the Madonna del Bosco takes place

The Feast of the Madonna del Bosco is held on Saturday and Sunday of the last week of month of August.

Where the Feast of the Madonna del Bosco takes place

The Feast of the Madonna del Bosco winds with the round trip from the Sanctuary to the Mother Church, and from this part the procession winds along the streets of the historic center both in the morning and in the evening before returning to the Sanctuary again.

How to get to Buscemi

By car:: from Catania, take the E45 continuing on the SS194 to Lentini. Then take the Provincial Road 5 in the direction of the SS124 towards Buccheri to enter the Provincial Road 39 which leads to Buscemi; from Palermo, take the E90 and then turn onto the A19/E932 in the direction of Strada Statale 117bis in Enna and then take the SP4 for Piazza Armerina and take the SS117bis and SS124 again towards Provincial Road 39 which leads to Buscemi.