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   Drummer
The cavalcade "A cravaccata"   on Tuesday of carnival
Palm Sunday   the Sunday before Easter
Holy Ghost's festivity   the first Sunday of August
Burgisi's festivity   the first Sunday of August
the Ear festival    the second Sunday of August
  
The Ear Festival "La Sagra della Spiga"

    It's a folkloristic rustic manifestation, born by an admirable initiative of Pro-Gangi; it has become the fulcrum of the madonite manifestations and the whole province. It recalls the traditional lifestyle, the traditions and the culture of the peasants in the past, mixed them to a pagan mythology and in particular to the celebration of the myth of the goddess Cerere, goddess of the abundance and the harvest.
    The manifestation carries out through several moments:
  • "A Vanniata da Festa": "u Vanniaturi" (the crier ) in his ancient custom and with the typical drum, walk around for the streets of the town, announcing the beginning of the manifestation and its program;
  • "International folks week": folkloristic groups of different nationalities exhibit songs and dances of their countries.
  • "Exhibition of the folkloristic group Engium ": folkloristic local group that exhibits for the ways of the country and in the Public People Square;
  • "U Corteo du Zitu" (Bridegroom's parade) : cavalcade of age-old figures, for the streets of the town; commemoration of the ancient habit from part of the bride's family to visit the bride and to ask for her hand (on Saturday);
  • "A Zuccatina da Zita":author's play which recalls the ancient method to ask the hand of a girl in marriage ( on Saturday);
  • "A Manciata di novi cosi":characteristic cooked mixture of nine legumes, offered to the present people (on Saturdays);
  • "Cerere's parade": it constitutes the most spectacular and central moment and of the whole manifestation, that take place on the second Sunday of August. A continuous evolution has enriched the symbolic meaning by the figurative expedient. From some year, it has got a completeness that, even if it changes in some little particulars, it totally respects the reasons that have inspired its origin. Divided in sections, it develops topics that find connection in the meaning of the tradition and of the myth and collect the sense and the spirit of the rural culture and the popular traditions expressed in several ways: communicative, representative, figurative and memorable. Dee madri

    The parade is opened by the local folkloristic group " Engium ", that dance on the notes of the local musical band " S. Cecilia ".
    The second section, constituted by the " corteo of ziti ", recalls the most common custom of our popular tradition and the ceremonial that preceded the marriage in the well-off families of peasants, " the burgisi ". The third section, dedicated to the life in the fields, represents the different phases of the productive cycle: plowing, sowing, mowing and harvest. Among the represented variety of figures, " A ritina " covers a particular importance (it is a long row of mules, pulled by a single driver and used for the transport of the cereals).
    The parade is completed by the section dedicated to the legendary figures, that recall the Cerere's myth, mother of the grain, to which, perhaps, was dedicated, together with the Mothers Goddesses, a magnificent temple on the Mount Alburchia. Part of the material of historical and artistic importance, found in this area, is preserved in the Archaeological Museum in Gangi

    Diana Orazio Lupus writes in " Universal History Elements ": Among the cities of the island, among the more notables, there was together with Centuripe and Segesta, Engium, near the Mount Marone (locality where Gangi is constructed today), built up by people from Crete and very famous for Cerere's temple.
    This section comprises in the order: Abundance - one of Cerere's, attributes, the abundance is represented by a young nymph with Garland of flowers in her head, bringing in her right hand a Cornucopia (horn of the abundance) and in her left hand a bundle of ears. Diana - attributes, the abundance is represented by a young nymph with Garland of flowers in her head, bringing in her right hand a Cornucopia (horn of the abundance) and in her left hand a bundle of ears. Baccus (or Dionysus) god of wine, viticulture and fruit growing in general, represents all the prosperity of nature in its various manifestations. Identified with Libero, he's part of a trio with Libera and Cerere. His name would come from verb Hebrew "baccah"," that means " to makes din ", that was what happened in its debauches of drunks. Representative of the physical strength pre-eminence, he always walks surrounded byBacchantsand Satires (rural gods), who, in an uproarious procession, get addicted to a mystical ecstasy of whirling dances and debauches. Pan - takes part to the Bacchus's parade. This rustic goat look God, much venerated in the Sicilian hinterland about the IIIth - Ith. B.C. - The twofold aspect god (positive and negative), hesitates among the forests in raids, in order to capture and to covet the Nymphs, by which he always is surrounded during his periods of rest that he passes playing reed-pipe and whistl. Nymphs - distinguish in Dryads (bark nymphs), Alseidi (scrub nymphs), Naiads (river nymphs), Oreadi (mountain nymphs). Syringe, Eco and Priti, Pan's mistresses considered Bacchus' nannies, prevail among all. Canephors - girls who open the processions in the Cerere's festivities carrying on their head a basket with sacred cakes, incense and garlands. Goddesses Mothers (or Meters) - Goddesses of maternity and the fecundity, linked to Cerere's cult. Amorini - small geniuses who represent the pleasures; they bring baskets containing "i novi cosi" (nine varieties of cereals and legumes). Clerymen (or Arvali) - agricultural brotherhood voted to goddess Cerere's cults; they have the task to consecrate the field before the harvest and to make the sacrifice, consisting in the killing of a pig, a sheep and a Taurus (souvetaurilia).
    The crown of ears is their symbol; they carry water amphorae used in the propitiatory rituals. The nymph Proserpine (called Persefone by Greeks) was the Cerere's beautiful daughter; among the ancient people she symbolized the regular repetition of the harvest, in as much as, a legend was linked to her, namely her rape by Pluto, God of the dead men, who was fell in love with her beauty. The rape of her daughter caused a such pain to Cerere, goddess of the crops, that she stopped the sprouting of the grain and a tremendous dryness destroyed the harvests, so it was unavoidable the involvement of gods' father, Giove, who established a pact with Pluto: Proserpine would be remained with the God of the dead men for a third part of the year and for the remaining two thirds parts she would have inhabited the sky with Cerere. It is in this last period of the year that the grain sprouts almost to demonstrate the Proserpine's presence on Earth.
    Cerere called Demeter by Greeks, the mother of the grain, goddess of the harvests, abundance and agriculture, proceeds majestic upon the last stavola stavola stavola (ancient mean of transport without wheels, pulled by cows) surrounded by maids devout to her, in order to mean the top moment of the paraded. Her legend is in relation with the fertility of the earth and with the job that expresses her element and life. It is narrated that Cerere, not satisfied of show her to the last inhabitants of the fields, to explain the rituals of the agrarian art, she educated Trittoleme to the secrets of the ploughing and of seed. Trittoleme went around the world on a wagon pulled by dragons, teaching to everybody agriculture and Demeter's cult, getting to a better order of the society and more civil orderings (Sunday). Wide space besides the tradition also for the joy. The following figures are in the parade.

  • "U Pisatu": : musical play, on a text written by a local author, which recalls the hard life in the fields, the threshing and the ancient customs linked to it (Sunday).

The manifestation is so notable that, during all its period, important shows are prepared, among these, that one of the local handicraft and several painters' and artists' shows.


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