After 72 years the “Santuna di San Pietro” return, the giant mobile statues depicting Jesus and the twelve apostles which until 1953 characterized the feast of Saint Peter on 29 June. The “Santuna” proceeded with the procession of the simulacrum of St. Peter together with other choreographic elements such as the giant six-metre St. Christopher and the procession was suppressed by decision of the religious authorities. On Sunday 16 June at 8pm, St. Peter, the first of the holy men, measuring just over four meters in size, will be presented to the public. The initiative is by the KaliKantun association founded by Giuseppe Walter Buscema and Pierpaolo Ruta who have implemented a project started some time ago in memory of their parents Giorgio Buscema, journalist of “La Sicilia”, and of Franco Ruta, to whom we owe the development of chocolate in Modica, well-known enthusiasts of the popular traditions of the County of Modica. The Kalikantun association is operating in harmony and synergy with the parish of San Pietro, coordinated by Don Giuseppe Stella, who has greatly welcomed the revival of a tradition that disappeared in 1953 and of which traces remain only in old photos and videos. The implementation of the entire “Santuna di San Pietro” project will see full completion in the jubilee year of 2025 and for which the participation of many volunteers is expected. The presence of the Santoni in Modica derives from an ancient Spanish tradition where attention for the “gigantes” is still alive today. In Sicily the giants remained for various popular festivals in Aidone, San Cataldo, Caltagirone, Barrafranca, Mistretta and Aragona. These are giants over three meters tall that in the past were made of papier-mâché and wood covered by tunics and carried by volunteers along a route. The new “santoni” of San Pietro are made with innovative materials by local workers after years of research and studies carried out by the Kalikantun association.
