Patronal Feast of San Sebastiano in Cerami

The patronal feast of San Sebastiano is held every year in August in Cerami, in the province of Enna.
It is a particular event that involves not only the faithful of the saint, but also visitors from neighboring towns and many non-island tourists attracted by the originality of the spectacular and touching religious event.
The festival takes place over two days. It starts on August 27 with the so-called "'entrata u lauru" (literal translation: entry of the laurel), suggestive ritual, which consists in the offer to the statue of the saint of Banner (flags), heavy banners that even reach six meters in height and which are made by intertwining fragrant laurel twigs.
The imposing structure of the laurel banners is a symbol of the effort that devotees are willing to endure to honor the beloved saint. Traditional flags are made with a space at the base, often padded to make it more comfortable, into which the bearers stick their heads.

Carrying the laurel flag is considered an honor and a family privilege.
The majestic flags gather in the area in front of the votive icon erected in honor of Sant'Oliva: traditionally remembered in Christian iconography as a cousin of San Sebastiano.
The bearers of the flags are joined by numerous knights riding splendid horses sumptuously caparisoned.

Faithful, knights and flag bearers, before starting the procession, taste bread, cheese and wine, according to the tradition that marks the highlights of the whole festival.
The procession opens with representatives of the brotherhood of San Sebastiano playing drums, laurel flags and over a hundred horsemen follow.
The long procession winds its way along the narrow streets of the town until it reaches the church of the saint. In turn, the faithful enter the church to pay homage to the patron saint with the laurel and to receive biscuits and wine.

The following morning, at seven, cannon shots announce the start of the celebrations and after the 11,30 mass, the statue of San Sebastiano comes out of the Church, welcomed by toss of colored cards, to be placed, together with the sacred relic transferred for the occasion from Mother Church, on the ancient wooden fercolo surmounted by a representation of the Immaculate surrounded by angels.

At noon on the dot the procession begins which winds its way along the streets of Cerami, interrupted in addition stitches from the Bipts, offerings of cookies and wine.
At the abbey of San Benedetto, where the fercolo arrives in a hurry, the procession stops to resume in the evening.

At 19,30 the fercolo leaves the abbey and the procession crosses the town again amidst Bipte, thunderous sounds of drums and fireworks to reach the church of San Sebastiano where, before the Saint enters, the four brotherhoods of Cerami take load the sacred relic to bring it back to the Mother Church.

The story linked to the feast of San Sebastiano in Cerami

San Sebastiano was born in Gaul. Promising young man, despite coming from a province, he managed to become head of the guards of the then emperor Diocletian from whom he had hidden that he was a Christian. When the emperor discovered the truth, he had him sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out promptly and Sebastiano was pierced by the arrows of the executioners who, after his martyrdom, believing him dead, abandoned his body.

Legend has it that the pious widow of Saint Castulus he went to the place to recover the young man's body and, instead, to his great surprise, he found the saint still alive despite the cruel and bloody martyrdom. The woman cured him and, having regained her health, Sebastiano went to theemperor Diocletian to denounce his work not only against him, but to the detriment of all Christians.

Diocletian reacted with unprecedented ferocity by ordering the guards to have his former captain beaten to death. The body of the martyr, according to the chronicles of the time, was contemptuously thrown into the cloaca maxima, the immense sewage pipeline of the Imperial Rome.

In Sicily the cult of the young saint, who died courageously defending his faith, spread enormously at the end of the sixteenth century (precisely in 1575) during the extraordinary and devastating plague epidemic which decimated the population. Sebastiano was, in fact, declared the patron saint of plague sufferers for the miraculous healings that occurred through his intercession.
In Cerami it is believed that the Saint, fleeing from his persecutors, had taken refuge in the surrounding woods.

Legend has it, handed down from generation to generation, that the imprint of the martyr's footsteps is still preserved on a rocky ridge near the sanctuary of the Madonna della Lavina.

When the feast of San Sebastiano takes place in Cerami

The Church remembers the martyrdom and the figure of San Sebastiano on January 20th. In Cerami, the patronal feast in his honor takes place on 27 and 28 August.

Where the feast of San Sebastiano takes place in Cerami

The feast of San Sebastiano takes place in the town of Cerami whose origins are presumed to date back to the ancient Greeks. The etymology of the name, in fact, would derive from Greek keramos (fired clay).
Cerami is located in the province of Enna and, to be precise, within the Nebrodi Park, a protected natural area of ​​the Sicilian Apennines characterized by the asymmetry of the reliefs and by the humid climate.

What to do during the feast of San Sebastiano in Cerami

The patronal feast of San Sebastiano in Cerami is an unmissable event not only for devotees, but also for local folklore enthusiasts.
The patronal feast combines the purely religious aspect with civil events (the fair with the classic stalls, musical performances and cultural meetings) which culminate in the fireworks on the night of August 28th.

How to get to Cerami to attend the patronal feast of San Sebastiano

If you prefer to get to Cerami by car, the closest motorway exits are: Dittaino, on the A19 (Palermo-Catania), just over twenty-five kilometers from the centre; and Santo Stefano di Camastra, on the A20 (Messina-Buonfornello) about twenty-seven kilometers from Cerami.
If arriving by train, the relatively more convenient stops are S. Agata di Millitello at 30 km and Capo d'Orlando at 43 km.
The reference airport is Catania Fontanarossa from which you can continue to Cerami by bus or by rental car.