The traditions of the Sicans

Feast of St. Martin, in Palazzo Adriano
the protagonists are the newlyweds

Every year in the village of “New Cinema Paradiso” between folklore and symbolism,
many gifts intended for new families

Big celebration for St. Martin’s Day in Palazzo Adriano, the town of “New Cinema Paradiso,” the smallest village in the Sicans, founded in the 16th century by Albanian exiles fleeing the Turkish advance.
Between folklore and symbolism, its tradition is rooted in the oldest Balkan celebrations. A celebration that involves the whole community and is focused on family, solidarity and sharing. Every year, dense program of events. The protagonists are the newlyweds, around whom all the people of Palazzu huddle with affection and, above all, many gifts.

On Nov. 11, it started, as usual, early in the morning; with the children parading through the streets of downtown and bringing to the newlyweds’ homes the “Sammartini,” characteristic baskets embellished with fine lace, with gifts and many traditional Sicilian sweets, from Martorana fruit to buccellati. The day of celebrations, then, culminated in visits to the newlyweds’ homes to admire the beautiful baskets made for the occasion.

“The symbolic and concrete goal of this ancient tradition,” says Ilaria Parrino, president of the Paradiso Arberesh cultural association, “is to support the family in the delicate moment of its birth. Already for the past thirty-nine years, the various municipal administrations that have succeeded one another, the Pro Loco of Palazzo Adriano and our association, with events and conferences often attended by renowned scholars, have emphasized the Feast of St. Martin; and this year the newly formed Ingegni association also participated in its organization.”

With a view to experiential tourism, aimed at making the visitor experience the most genuine atmospheres of this little jewel in the heart of Sicily, the Ingegni association (and the palindrome, they assure us, is not accidental) has set up “San Martino Experience,” making an appointment for participants in that Piazza Umberto I made famous by Oscar winner Giuseppe Tornatore’s masterpiece.
The program included the preparation of typical St. Martin’s wicker baskets, which were then delivered to the homes of the eight newlywed couples of Palazzo Adriano; and a tour of the most significant places in the village, which also involved the New Cinema Paradiso Museum, which opened last August.

“It was a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in an atmosphere of times gone by,” says Alessia Giordano, president of the Ingegni association, the evolution of a project aimed at young people in the area, as part of the FermentiInComune call. “We went around the village dressed in traditional Arberesh clothing, telling the most significant aspects of the festival, but above all making visitors experience them firsthand, who brought the ‘Sammartini’ with us to the newlyweds.”

Traditional gifts once included the brazier and cauldron; today mostly the choice falls on kitchen appliances. The “Pitta,” on the other hand, is the unchanged symbol of the festival. It is a special circular form of bread, a flatbread decorated with the coat of arms of the City of Palazzo Adriano, the two-headed eagle, and with a heart, two doves, an olive branch and other auspicious symbols. On the occasion of St. Martin’s Day, the municipal administration gives it to all newlyweds of the year.