The Feast of the Madonna of the Light

By Francesca Montillo, ISDA Food + Travel Writer

It’s summer, so for many Italians, it’s the season for the annual feast days. A season where many of the Saints and the Madonna are honored in many communities. Today, I want to tell you a bit of a story, about a special painting, a special town, and a special feast.

I grew up in a small town in Southern Italy called Palermiti, in the province of Catanzaro, in the region of Calabria. If you were to look at a map, chances are you would never find it. The permanent population of Palermiti is probably around 1,000 residents, if that. Many Palermitesi, my family and myself included, have migrated to other regions of the world for better opportunities. Although the permanent residents are few, it’s during the month of August that the population doubles, perhaps even triples in size.

No matter the distance, be it Milan, Rome, Switzerland or the U.S., and whether you have to get there by plane, train or automobile, we are all called to return to Palermiti in August to reunite with family and friends, to enjoy the unspoiled beauty of the South, and to relish in the fiery cuisine. But one other reason, perhaps the main reason, we all flock back to Palermiti in August is to once again witness the majestic feast of La Madonna Della Luce.

Whenever any ex-pat travels back to Palermiti, the first question you will get from the locals is “You’re staying for the feast, right?”Celebrated the last Sunday in August, the feast of La Madonna Della Luce, or Madonna of the Light, is undoubtedly the town’s favorite and most famous day of the year. The feast’s duration is three days and it includes a street fair, a band, a pop music concert, fireworks, and of course, a Mass and procession on Sunday. The Madonna is the town’s confidant, a most trusted source for all that ails us, be it troubles of body, mind or spirit.

**Procession day in Palermiti. Credit: Francesca Montillo**

Close your eyes, and picture the old country, the year is 1720. Stories and tales reign supreme in small-town Italy and how the Madonna of the Light came to Palermiti is an exceptional story indeed. The day was like any other, until it wasn’t. Field workers had just ended their shifts and were headed back home. They walked past an abandoned worksite named Murorotto (broken wall), when among the rubbles of discarded construction debris, they suddenly noted an immense burst of light coming from the area. Upon closer examination, they found a beautiful and rather large fresco painting surrounded by thick bricks and cement. The painting was of a beloved Madonna and Child. Adorned in celestial blue, she held baby Jesus in her left hand, and a bright candle in her right. The light itself felt like a miracle.

Word soon spread, as it still tends to do in these small towns, and pilgrimages began from across the province to bear witness to this divine scene for themselves, some claiming miracles occurring right on the spot. Many construction workers from local towns came to try and remove the painting from the wall and bring it to a more dignified location, but despite their strength in trying, they were unable to move it. That is until a certain Mr. De Marco, from Palermiti, came to visit the Madonna.

With much ease and a gentle tug, he was able to remove the painting from its improper location, but the question remained: where should it be moved to? Everyone who came to witness this miracle claimed the newly named Madonna of the Light as their own. Since they could not reach a compromise, they decided that the painting should be placed on an unguided oxen cart. The oxen were free to go where they pleased without direction from anyone. The town in which the oxen were to stop could claim the Madonna of the Light as their own. It seemed to be a fair method under the circumstances.

With the painting securely placed on the cart, the oxen started their journey. Their slow voyage took several hours and they crossed several towns. It wasn’t until they arrived in front of an old church in Palermiti that the oxen stopped, kneeling in fact. Were they exhausted from their journey under the scorching, summer sun? Not so, we like to believe, they had plenty of opportunity to stop beforehand. Rather, the Madonna Della Luce had selected her new home, Palermiti. That same honor is still felt this day, 302 years later.

The Madonna of the Light is as significant today as ever. Every five years, a special celebration takes place in Palermiti. A replica of the painting is once again taken to Murorotto. The trip to Murorotto is done by car these days, but the return trip to Palermiti is always done the way it was in 1720. Followed by a large statue of the Madonna, and thousands of pilgrims, the painting is securely fixed to an oxen cart and makes its way back to Palermiti. The pilgrimage takes hours, under the August sun, many walking in bare feet to demonstrate their devotion, or in gratitude for a favor granted by the Holy Mother. The Madonna Della Luce remains Palermiti’s main pride. The feast is known throughout Calabria and the small town of nearly 1,000 swells by the thousands the weekend of the feast as locals and out-of-towners come to enjoy the festivities, fireworks, music, but most of all, to pay homage and gratitude to the beloved Madonna Della Luce.

**A smaller statue than the one found in Palermiti, the replica in Hingham, MA is honored and cherished with a procession and celebration. Credit: Ivana Doria.**

But the feast doesn’t just stay in Palermiti. In Hingham, MA, a suburb of Boston, locals who have migrated from Palermiti gather to honor the Madonna of the Light as well. Several hundred people, all from Palermiti now living in MA, gather to pay tribute to our Madonna. The feast is held in a wooded picnic location, where, after Mass, everyone gathers to enjoy a festive lunch, music and great company! The feast in Hingham is held on the first Sunday in September, so that folks attending the feast in Palermiti, have enough time to return to the States to celebrate Her once again!