The appointment of faith which, traditionally, opens the doors to the Estatr of Gela, is rapidly approaching. The first procession of the painting, which preludes the big day of June 23rd, recorded a large number of attendees. The painting, which starts from the hospital area, is carried on the shoulder towards the Capuchin Church accompanied by a crowd of praying faithful.
Here is the program of celebrations:
The religious holiday most felt by the Gelese population, despite the patron saint being the Madonna dell’Alemanna, is that of the Mafonna delle Grazie, towards which the inhabitants of the city have great devotion. The Madonna delle Grazie is venerated in the 14th century convent of the Minor Capuchin Fathers of Gela.
The festival in her honor is celebrated on 2 July with the solemn procession of the nineteenth-century simulacrum representing the Virgin with the Baby Jesus. On the occasion of the anniversary, in addition to the “promise of the barefoot journey” for the graces received, the faithful bring as a sign of homage some large decorated and garlanded votive candles: “candles”An ancient custom handed down to the present day wants the celebration to be dedicated to the blessing of children.
The most significant moments of the feast are: the solemn novena (June 23 – July 1), when the people turn to the Madonna through the prayer of the “Coroncina” and participate in the Eucharistic celebration, usually presided over by a specially invited preacher. The 2nd, the feast day, begins with the morning mass and the midday “maschiata”.
The procession begins at around 4pm from the Church of the PP Cappuccini and winds through the central streets of the city, ending late in the evening, at around midnight, with the return of the statue to the church and fireworks at sea.
During the procession, the procession is stopped several times to allow the faithful to express their “vote”; amidst the jubilation of the immense crowd, one witnesses bursts of firecrackers and continuous undressing of children, raised towards the sky by the hands of a Capuchin friar, under the statue of the Madonna and interspersed with prayers and songs.
The children’s clothes, offered to Our Lady of Grace, will then be bought back by their parents and the proceeds will go to the city’s poor.
The feast of Our Lady of Grace is celebrated in many cities, including Enna, Velletri and Capranica: it is tradition, in fact, that on this occasion the Capranica residents who are no longer residents return to their town to take part in the celebrations, in particular the solemn procession, the heart of the religious festival.
