Feast of San Giuseppe in Ribera

Closely linked to its origins and rural and agricultural traditions, Ribera reserve particular devotion a San Giuseppe, to which a festival is dedicated which far exceeds in terms of calendar and participation that reserved for the patron saint of the city, San Nicola di Bari.
Feast with a long tradition, the Feast of San Giuseppe in Ribera is a concentrate of traditions, folklore, faith and aggregation.

History of the Feast of San Giuseppe in Ribera

The Feast of San Giuseppe in Ribera is ancient as much as the locality itself: of some phases and rituals of the festival there is news in contemporary chronicles of the foundation of the municipality, which dates back to 1635.

For example, the setting up of the “stràula”: a several meters high tower, which is raised on a cart pulled by a mule: the metal frame is covered with bay leaves, said "addauru”, collected on the first Sunday of the month of March, and decorated with forms of blessed bread called “fall down"and "purciddata”, which will then be distributed among the population.

The "santa stràula" takes part in various phases of the festivities and related processions.
THElaurel has such an importance in the party that two weeks before a special celebration takes place, in which men on horseback they carry the collected branches to the city.

When the Feast of San Giuseppe takes place in Ribera

Already two Sundays before 19 March, the day in which the foster father of Jesus is traditionally remembered, the celebrations begin in Ribera, with the “cravacata of l'addauru”, the laurel ride that will serve to cover the “stràula”. The calendar thickens in the following days, with the climax on the day of the 19th, which opens with the traditional "dawned” and ends late in the evening with i pyrotechnic games.

Where the Feast of San Giuseppe takes place in Ribera

The whole town of Ribera, and especially the Old Town, is involved in the celebrations in honor of San Giuseppe. Fulcrum is certainly there Mother Church, like many of the main streets and squares of the city, where the various stages of the festival come to life, both with folk color and with devotion and participation of the citizens and of the always numerous visitors and tourists. From the rite of "thirteen”, with thirteen children impersonating the Apostles and the Holy Family seeking hospitality, ai numerous altars also set up inside private homes.

What to do at the Feast of San Giuseppe in Ribera

La Feast of San Giuseppe in Ribera is a succession of moments that involve and fascinate: if the procession of simulacrum of St. Joseph along the "holy road” is also a way to admire the urban layout and its architecture; The sense of hospitality is embodied in the offer of dishes (typical is the "ca muddica pasta”) by the residents in their homes, and with the traditional St. Joseph's minestrone, made with fennel and broad beans and cooked on the street in large pots, tasting which is considered auspicious. It is therefore an excellent opportunity to visit and experience the city at its peak participation and enthusiasm.

How to get to the Feast of San Giuseppe in Ribera

Reaching the Feast of San Giuseppe in Ribera is easy: the city is connected to Agrigento, Ragusa, Trapani and Syracuse, From state road 115, While the state road 386 it is the access route from the hinterland. The two roads can be traveled with your own or hired car and are served by numerous bus lines, excellent for those arriving by plane: the closest airports arePalermo Falcone e Borsellino Airport, about 130 km away, and theTrapani Vincenzo Florio Airport, just over 100 km.