MSFS Day 14: Going Out With a Bang

Notes from the Field School: August 5th, 2016

Today began with a bang as loud booms rang out starting at about 7am. The city began to celebrate at this hour in honor of the Madonna della Neve (our lady of the snow). After the succession of booms had ended, a marching band began playing lively songs to greet the day. The band would later be part of the procession that would come from the sanctuary within the castle on top of the hill and would play until the mass that would take place many hours later.

A street poster advertising the celebration.

Last lunch lasagna.

The class had their final Italian lesson with Katia at 11am. She gave us some excellent resources for continuing our studies into the language and told us all about the history of Italian becoming the national language after unification of the country. We practiced verb conjugations and were happy to integrate more vocabulary before concluding with our formal lessons.

Amazing meatloaf with caramelized onions.

Lunch was a yummy lasagna layered with boiled eggs, meat, cheese, and red sauce. After filling our bellies with this, along with a succulent meatloaf resting in juices and caramelized onions as well as fresh fruits. We then took the time to pack up our things and rest a bit before the events to come in the evening. We left the convent around 6pm to go see the procession of the Madonna della Neve. We grabbed our granitas, gelatos, and bottles of water and then hurried to find seats on the steps of the cathedral before the beginning of the procession. 

Eagerly awaiting the procession for the Madonna della Neve.

Before long, the bells began to toll and looking up to the castle gave us a glimpse of the apex of the statue of the Madonna as a throng moved with the fluidity of the Mediterranean Sea itself down the hill. The bells continued to ring as the crowd slowly made its way toward the plaza where we were waiting to see the procession. 

Where the procession began.

People of all ages, some barefoot, others wearing a variety of different kinds of shoes followed robed children carrying a crucifix toward the main town square. After  much of the crowd had passed, we finally saw the church officials, including our very own Padre Paolo, leading the men guiding the cart on which the statue stood. 

The procession approaches. Note Padre Paolo on the right photo in fuchsia.

Flowers for the Madonna.

At the feet of the Madonna was a beautiful arrangement of flowers. The scent of these flowers lingered in the air even after the statue had passed. The Madonna was followed by a few of the most prominent members of the community, including the mayor and the man in charge of cultural heritage for the city. This group was then followed by the marching band, who (amazingly) never missed a note as they descended the steep slopes of slick stones in the narrow streets leading down to the plaza. Behind the band came even more people. The statue was well out of sight by the time that we were able to see the end of the line of people following her down. 

Statue of the Madonna della Neve during the procession. 

The band playing music for the procession behind the statue of the Madonna.

At this point, we joined the crowd and became part of the procession ourselves. We followed everyone down listening to the exciting music and hoping for additional glimpses of the Madonna on some of the less curvy parts of our journey. Once we finally reached the main square, Nicotina, one of the bars that we frequented during our time here, had reserved for our group a table with a lovely wrapping that had the words Buon Appetito written elegantly around abstract artwork. We then had refreshing granitas and more water while we chatted, all the time hearing the music of the band in the background. After a while, the procession had circled back around and was heading back up the hill for a mass to be held at the cathedral. We again watched the procession go by, but this time decided to stay a bit longer before making the trek back to the convent for dinner.

Excited class waiting for the fireworks.

Dinner consisted of mostly leftovers....pizza, meatloaf in the caramelized onions and juices from this afternoon, and eggplant rolls. The dinner was followed by fruit and just a bit more free time prior to making our second descent to the main square for the late night fireworks. We returned to our table at Nicotina and eagerly waited for the firework show to begin. After what felt like a very long time, the show began. A spectacular display of dazzling light rained from the sky in hues of purple, pink, and green. The same loud "booms" from this morning (and, in fact, that we've been hearing almost daily since our arrival) were seen in a new (literal) light as they burst far above the visible face of the castle. The show went on for a good 20 minutes or more...I was not timing it...but, it was much more extravagant than anything that any of us (except perhaps for Dario) had ever seen. The booms were interrupted by crackles and whistles filling the night sky with color, light, and noises as vibrant as all other aspects of Sicilian culture. It was truly beyond all of our expectations (except, again, perhaps for Dario) and is difficult to describe with the appropriate level awe. It was something that none of us will soon forget. As we made the long trip back up to the convent for one last time, I couldn't help but think to myself that all of the loud noises in the mornings may have just been worth it. An appropriate end to an amazing two-weeks...I was happy that we were able to go out with a...literal...BANG!

The phenomenal fireworks from the main square in Santa Lucia del Mela.

BOOM!

A perfect ending...we miss you already, Santa Lucia del Mela!

Written by  Dr. Johnica J. Morrow (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)