Santo Stefano Quisquina – from the first Sunday in June to the following Tuesday
Patronal Feast of St. Rosalie
The feast on the occasion of the patron saint of Santo Stefano Quisquina culminates on Tuesday in the historic pilgrimage that sees the bust with the relics of St. Rosalia carried from the Mother Church to the Quisquina Hermitage.
A precious testimony to the devotion and ancient cult of Santa Rosalia in Santo Stefano Quisquina is a canvas dated 1464 that has always been kept in the Mother Church and depicts the three protectors of the town: St. Stephen the Protector, Our Lady of the Chain, and St. Rosalia with a rose in her hand and a tiara of roses on her head.
The people of Stephano have always loved and honored Rosalie, from the earliest days when the saint took refuge in the Quisquina cave. The program of festivities is spread over five days. On the occasion of the historic Tuesday pilgrimage, preceded by the traditional cavalcade with richly trappings animals, upon arrival at the shrine after Mass, it is traditional to have a rich lunch of lamb, roasted in the surrounding woods.
It is also customary to reintroduce ancient games, such as thespoon tree game and the sack race.
