Plants in Sicilian holy simbology

Abstract

The Sicilian religious festivals present a rich and varied plant symbolism. In addition to the widespread practice of decorating processional statues with flowers, fruits, ears of wheat, green beans depending on the season and the phases of the agricultural cycles, the use of carrying processionally simple branches of laurel or more complex plant artifacts is widely observed. These uses are particularly present in the ceremonies of the Holy Week, in the spring festivals dedicated to Saint Joseph (March 19) and to the Holy Cross (May 3), in the summer ones dedicated to the patron saints. These are phenomena that clearly testify the continuity of ritual structures and symbols and which presently renew the cultural memory of a Sicilian society, lived for millennia of agriculture and farming.