The Feast of Sant'Antonio Abate in Burgio

The patron saint of the village of Burgio is Sant'Antonio Abate and every year a religious celebration is dedicated to him, which culminates with the procession of the saint through the streets of the town. The appointment is also a moment to take advantage of to get to know the country and all its beauties: here's how to get there and what to do during the celebration.

Description of the feast of Sant'Antonio Abate in Burgio

The feast of Sant'Antonio Abate is a religious celebration that is organized to celebrate the patron saint of the town. This is a very ancient event, which unites the sacred with the profane: the main part of the festival is obviously linked to the celebrations of faith for the saint, also considered the patron saint of animals and able to protect the country and its inhabitants from evil.

Since, in particular, Saint Anthony is considered capable of protecting from the danger of fires and from fire in general, at the height of the festival, after the end of the procession, the vamparotta: the wooden trunks, which the village boys collected and stacked the previous day, are set on fire in a liberating bonfire.

The history linked to the feast of Sant'Antonio Abate in Burgio

The origin of the feast of Sant'Antonio Abate in Burgio is obscure but it is certainly a tradition that has been lost over time. The habit of setting fire to stacks of wood, in fact, was born from a peasant custom according to which burning brushwood and weeds helps to make the soil more fertile.

Since it has always been a purely agricultural community, this activity was repeated season after season, becoming part of a religious holiday dedicated to a saint fire protector. The tradition, then, has reached the present day but mixing the sacred and the profane, given that during religious celebrations there is no shortage of moments dedicated to more playful and folkloristic aspects.

When the event takes place

The feast of Sant'Antonio Abate in Burgio takes place on 16, 17 and 18 January. In reality the day dedicated to the saint by the Catholic Church is the 17th and on this day the procession takes place, however on the day before there are some preliminary activities to the procession which are traditionally carried out by the children of the village. Finally, on the 19th, the animals of which the saint is the patron saint are blessed.

Where the feast of Sant'Antonio Abate takes place

The celebration of Sant'Antonio Abate in Burgio starts from the ----- Mother Church of Sant'Antonio Abate -----, where the statue of the saint is kept and carried in procession through the streets of the city centre. Then the party moves to the squares, where the tradition of vamparotta. Finally, the following day the core of the celebrations is the square of the Mother Church where the animals gather for the blessing.

What to do during the feast of Sant'Antonio Abate

The most faithful will participate in the feast of Sant'Antonio Abate in Burgio to take part in the religious celebrations. It begins with the exit of the statue in procession, carried by penitents, which lead you throughout the historic center.

The night before is the favorite moment for the boys, who are busy looking for wood for the vamparotta, the bonfire that is made at the end of the procession, while the following day there is the blessing of animals. Throughout the three days of the celebration there is no shortage of food and wine stands and both musical and cabaret shows to cheer up the event participants.

How to get to Burgio

The village of Burgio can be reached either from Palermo that Agrigento by car. In the first case the path to take is the SS624 until the Sambuco exit, then continue with the SS188 to your destination.
From Agrigento, however, the road to take is the SS115 with exit Ribera, from here you must continue with the SS386 until arriving in Burgio.

Who prefers the traininstead, you will have to use the Cammarata San Giovanni Gemini station, which is the closest location, given that the station in Burgio has been closed for a few years.
Finally Burgio is also interested in the line of local buses, which is provided by the company ATS.