Santa Lucia, Santa Rosalia, chestnuts and wine

Testo in italiano

In this episode of the Cannolo Report:

Rita Monte from New York

A poetry dedicated to Sicily from the Big Apple

Two proverbs by our Splendid Teresa Hartley, the Sicilian Mama

Stefania Hartley, best known in England as The Sicilian Mama, is a writer of Sicilian stories and folklore.

You can find her books on Amazon and at www.stefaniahartley.com

Out and about

Let’s take a nice walk in Sicily to discover its wonders

That one over there is Carlentini, eastern Sicily, which is located where once stood the ancient Leontinoi, a Siceliotes city of the eighth century B.C. Many residents of this village have expatriated, almost a century ago, to Omaha, Nebraska.

This is Enna called the navel of Sicily, because it is located in the center of our island, surrounded by wheat fields.

This is Marsala, western Sicily, whose name reminds us of the Arabs who ruled in Sicily for two centuries, from the IX to XI . Marsala derives from mar allah, the port of Allah.

Cinema Siciliana

If you have a story that can be made into a documentary movie contact us. Tell the world about the trials and tribulations that Sicilians have undertaken to reach other shores of the world. We restore dignity to the sacrifices of our ancestors info@splendidsicily.com

Sicilian Artisan Foundation

Splendid Sicily supports quality Sicilian craftsmanship.

www.sicilianartisanfoundation.com

Almanac of the past

Between October 26 and the 28 of 2500 years ago the Thesmophoria were celebrated in Sicily, a festival in honor of Demeter, goddess of fertility and of the sorrowful Spring for the kidnapping of her daughter Persephone by Hades, king of the underworld. During these festivals Sicilian women offered Demeter sacrifices of cereals, wine, cheese, oil and other foods, cooked the meat of sacrificed animals, feasted, exchanged obscene slogans and scourged each other, invoking the Goddess to guarantee a large and healthy offspring. The ritual was forbidden to men.On

November 02, 1928 a powerful eruption of Etna arrived a few steps away from the sea, destroying the town of Mascali. Here are the images in this video from the Luce Institute.

On November 3, 1801, Vincenzo Bellini, the composer from Catania, famous all over the world for the Norma, was born. Catania, his city, has dedicated to him a famous pasta with eggplants, tomato sauce, ricotta salata and basil. But also the municipal villa and the city airport

Ancient Folk Medicine: Avvalancarsi di n’arveru, that is Fallen from a tree – “Quannu unu s’allavanca di n’arveru, sucu di pala vecchia and babbalucci”. When one falls from a tree, put prickly pear juice and crushed snails on the hematoma and if it persists, add oil and wax and crushed mugwort

The farmer’s advice (si ripete per tutto il mese): in October the wheat is sown, it is harvest time and the olives are harvested. Wheat, wine and oil are three great protagonists of Sicilian agriculture. October is also the best month for Sicilian sheep to give birth.

In this photo from 1954, two spouses are shown smiling, seated on a Sicilian cart, traveling along a crowded street of a city. He has a mustache and looks much more mature than her. Behind them, probably, the father of the bride. In those years the fuitina ((literally: “sudden escape) was still very popular but these two newlyweds, apparently, found the families in agreement with each other and got married in serenity

Next weeks in Sicily

Weather forecasts

The fruit seller

Slurp slurp … let’s see what the greengrocer propose this time

The fish seller

Slurp slurp … let’s see what the fishmonger propose this time

Feasts and events

From 29 to 31 October Fichidindia and Mostarda Festival in Militello Val di Catania, a Unesco hinterland village for the Baroque.

On 30 and 31 October in Petralia Sottana, in the Madonie mountains, the Feast of Madonie flavors: gastronomy, music, shows, nature trails and guided excursions.

On 11 November all of Sicily celebrating San Martino, chestnuts and wine everywhere.

THE CULTURAL DEPARTMENT “SEBASTIANO TUSA” OF SPLENDID SICILY HAS PRESENTED THE CANNOLO REPORT