Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

In Italy this is the month of the Madonna: on December 8th the Country celebrates l'Immacolata Concezione, the Immaculate Conception of Mary. But the Madonna is present all year around in Italy through processions that deserve to be seen…

Italy celebrates on December 8^th the Immaculate Conception of  Mary, a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin – this was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX  on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church on December 8th 1854 through the Encyclical Ineffabilis Deus.

The Madonna, though, is a strong presence in Italy all year around: being the most important female Saint to be celebrated in the Country, each region has its way to do so, tied with local traditions and legendary events tied to her figure. Usually the processions – because usually the celebration involves a long walk through towns carrying the statue of the local Madonna – include also a Mass.

 

 

The church celebrates the Festivity of the Madonna delle Grazie every year on may 31st but sometimes this date changes depending on the town. It's a big celebration especially in the South of Italy. Thousands of people - some of them are emigrants abroad who go back home for the occasion -  gather every year on September 7th, 8th and 9th in Molfetta (Bari provence, in Puglia Region) to celebrate the Madonna dei Martiri (cover photo) with a boat procession on the sea. In Matera, on July 2nd, people celebrate the Madonna della Bruna, the official patron of the city. This procession is so important that people have put up a blog with a countdown to the next July 2nd (http://www.festadellabruna.it/). In Ginosa, Puglia, on the first Sunday of October people celebrate the Madonna del Rosario (another important iconography, the Rosary Madonna).

Often these celebrations are related to miracles that each Madonna performed at some point in time, on believers’ account. In Foggia, for example, the Madonna of Sette Veli (the seven veils Madonna) is celebrated on March 22^nd because she supposedly appeared right after a terrible earthquake that killed around 20,000  in 1731. In Anzo town (Liguria region) on the first Sunday of August Madonna della Neve (Snow Madonna) is celebrated with thousands of lit candles floating on the sea. On February 28 in Treviglio (Lombardy) is celebrated the Festa patronale della Madonna delle Lacrime (tears Madonna) because on that date in 1922 during the French siege, while the believers where praying in the church, the fresco started to cry. General Lautrec was called up, and once he saw the miracle he ordered to cease the siege.

La Madonna del Carmelo (the Madonna of Carmel Mount), or Santa Maria del Carmine, is celebrated on July 16^th because in 1251 on that day she appeared to Saint Simone Stock, at the time prior of the Carmelitans order (that honored the Madonna and dawned on Carmel Mount in Palestine).

In Arpino, in the Lazio region, they celebrate the Madonna di Loreto on December 10^th because supposedly thanks to her in 1656 the town was spared by the plague that was spreading in Rome and in the South of Italy. 

The intrinsic relationship which ties Italy with Catholicism and tradition often comes alive in these local festivities. It is through these popular celebrations that Italians find a way not to forget about their origins and to maintain their roots: witnessing one of these celebrations at least once in a lifetime, whether you are Italian or not, is something that everyone should do in order to understand Italy and its beauty.

Written by: Elisa della Barba 

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