The feast of the Madonna della Stella, the main patron saint of Militello in Val di Catania, is the most important religious festival in the city and is celebrated on 8 September.
The feast of the patron saint: the Madonna della Stella
The celebrations in honor of the Madonna della Stella begin on August 29th with the traditional procession of the "Cantata" for the main streets of the city, accompanied by fireworks.
Followed by nine days of preparation for the festival, until vigilia, on 7 September, when the doors of the chapel are opened, which house the precious simulacrum of Maria Santissima della Stella.
It is a precious statue in golden wood and hemp of 1618, restored after the earthquake in 1693 by the sculptor Camillo Confalone.
The statue, on the occasion of the celebrations and after the offering of the votive candle by the Mayor, is placed on a throne within a rich eighteenth-century wooden fercolo, preparing it for the procession the following day.
On 8 September, in fact, the Madonna is taken around the streets of the city, surrounded by great emotion and popular devotion.
The program of religious and recreational events of the days of the Christmas Eve also includes the parade of flag-wavers, the musical band, fireworks, concerts and musical performances.
Mariani and Nicolesi
The religious, social and civil history of the militellesi is characterized by a strenuous opposition between nicolesi, the parishioners of the church of San Nicola, and Marians, supporters of Santa Maria della Stella.
The two cults are born in medieval times but the dispute is more recent. It was caused by the decrees of the Council of Trent which, from the second half of the 1500s, distinguished the master churches and the parish churches.
From that moment on a terrible competition on maturity started (not always played correctly on the interpretation and / or interpolation of ancient archival documents), to claim for one or the other parish the greatest antiquity in the exercise of matrix rights.
This explains the "competition" among the supporters to those who shoot the most beautiful fires or decorate the city with the most splendid lights.
Follow us