|
Festivals, Celebrations,
Events,
|
Saint John the Baptist:
Zechariah and Elizabeth were old and childless but prayed to the Lord so He might grant them a child. One day,
the Archangel Gabriel appeared unto Zechariah and told him that, despite her years, Elizabeth was to give birth to a
boy and that he was to be called John. The Angel added that the boy would be filled with the Holy Spirit and through
the greatness of Elijah would prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. Zechariah was disturbed and did not believe
the Angel and so Gabriel left him dumb. Zachariah did not speak until the presentation of John in the Temple where
the priests wanted to name the boy after his father. When asked for his opinion, Zechariah took a tablet and wrote
"His name is John" on it and immediately reacquired the ability to speak and began to praise God.
John lived in the Desert, wore camel hair and a leather belt round his waist and lived on locusts and wild
honey until he began the mission he had been called to perform by the Lord. He preached conversion and the forgiveness
of sins through baptism. He baptised many people in the waters of the River Jordan. Jesus came to be baptised by John
and was acclaimed by John, who was his cousin, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World. He continued
his mission and was fearless in his condemnation of injustice and evil and was not afraid even to denounce the marriage
of King Herod to his brother's wife, Herodias. Herod himself respected John and did not want to have him killed but
gave in to the will of Herodias and had him imprisoned. One evening Herod held a banquet and Herodias's daughter
Salome dance for the crowd. Herod promised her anything she wanted in return for he dance she had performed and
she, influenced by her mother, demanded John's head on a plate. Thus, for the weakness of a king, one of the
greatest figures in Christian history was executed and his head, still warm was brought to the banqueting hall
on a silver platter.
Devotion to St. John the Baptist became popular throughout the Christian world at an early stage because
of the example of discipline and asceticism he gave during his life.
The Festival:
The liturgical feast of St. John the Baptist falls on the day of his birth, June 24th, and is celebrated with
a solemn Mass and the display of his relics.
The Saint is invoked for protection in cases of natural disaster and for cures from illnesses. His remaining reliquary
is a silver arm which contains a piece of his radium. The celebrations in honour of the Saint take place on August
29th; the date of his martyrdom. The statue of the Saint, which dates from the early 1500s is carried as part of a
procession around the streets of the city followed by a group of musicians.
Apart from a moment of religious devotion and renewal of the city's ancient traditions, it is also a sight worth
seeing, given the thousands of faithful who accompany the statue around the city with huge candles, lit in thanks for
favours received. Some of the more devout do so in their bare feet. As is commonplace in Sicily, the contrast between
the sacred and the profane characterises the festival. In fact the festival is not only a religious celebration but it
is also an occasion for an enormous market which fills the city streets for a number of days around the date of the
festival and for a magical fireworks display which signals the end of the festivities.
|
|
- Religious Festivals in Ragusa:
- Other Occassions:
- Festivals and Celebrations around the province
|
|
