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S erene and atmos- p h e r i c , t h e h i l l town of Valguar- nera Caropepe sits at 629 meters above sea level on the eastern slopes of the Erei mountains in the province of Enna. The surrounding hills face the giant volcano Mount Etna, the ocean sprawling in the distant background. In ancient times, the terri- tory was an important place in the Demeter, Persephone, and Hades religion that was primarily a Greek phenome- non centered at Eleusis, just outside of Athens. However, here in the heart of Sicily, the locals observed the great- est Eleusinian Mysteries about the story of Demeter, the goddess of the grain with garlands in her blonde hair, a n d h e r d a u g h t e r Persephone, queen of spring, who has to spend one-third of the year with his father Hades in the Underworld. That is why winter begins. Demeter suffers badly when her daughter is held captive but her joy comes back every time Persephone returns to the earth for spring and the summer months. This cult offered a vision of eternal life and triumph over death. Its presence in the Enna region around the Pergusa Lake was even acknowledged by Ovid in the Metamorphoses: "Here flowers always bloom, winter n e v e r f a l l s / H e r e e t e r n a l spring smiles." In Valguarnera Caropepe, the Church of St. Francis, formerly known as the Holy Cross Church, was built on the ruins of a temple dedicat- ed to Demeter. After wor- shipping her two days and two nights within the temple, celebrants would leave the shrine at dawn, then walk to fertile grain fields to invoke t h e r e b i r t h o f t h e c r o p s . Traces of the cult were found i n t h e d i s t r i c t o f S o t t o c o n v e n t o i n Valguarnera Caropepe. In 1246, the village nucle- us was founded by a feudal lord named Lamberto di Caropipi. The fiefdom con- sisted of a castle that looked more like a Masseria, or a vast farmhouse. From 1398, the fief passed into the hands o f t w o b r o t h e r s , t h e Valguarnera brothers of Catalan nobility. The vocation of the place is still rural. "Locals work main- ly in farming. No other job opportunities are available," s a y s C a r l o B e l l o n e , a l a w y e r f r o m V a l g u a r n e r a C a r o p e p e w h o i s h e a d o f Associazione Culturale V a l g u a r n e r e s e n e l Mondo and co-author of the b o o k D a C a r i p a a Valguarnera. "Youth move o u t o f t h i s d r e a m y p l a c e . Only the elderly stay," says Carlo. "They live well here as the cost of living is not high." Today, the town counts some 7,000 souls. The faithful observe the feast of Saint Joseph on March 19. It's a grand cele- bration of spring that coin- cides with Father's Day. And it starts nine days earlier with a novena, a Roman Catholic d e v o t i o n c o n s i s t i n g o f prayers on nine consecutive days. They ask Saint Joseph to intercede on behalf of a request that seems especially dire. On St. Joseph Piazza in front of Saint Joseph Church, families accommodate the Tavole di San Giuseppe or Joseph's tables, huge buffets to be shared among commu- nity members, especially the poor and the sick. The less fortunate are invited to a lux- uriant dinner, whose tradi- tion dates back to the Middle Ages during times of drought a n d f a m i n e . T h e V a l g u a r e n e s i w o u l d p r a y Saint Joseph to bring rain so life could have been sustain- able again. A special table is set for t h e H o l y F a m i l y — s o m e p a r i s h i o n e r s d r e s s e d a s Joseph, Mary, and the child Jesus. Three-tier tables are cov- ered with linen tablecloths to symbolize the Holy Trinity a n d t h e l a d d e r t o d i v i n e ascent from earth to heaven. The all-pervading scent of a food tradition as old as the region's hills is a complete assault on the senses. A Mass a n d a s o l e m n p r o c e s s i o n c o m p l e t e t h e f e s t i v e d a y . "The Valguardenesi brought this tradition to the States," says Carlo Bellone. The H o l y W e e k r i t e s t h a t f o l l o w a r e s o m e o f S i c i l y ' s m o s t m o v i n g pageants. Processions sway all along the volcanic rock- slab paved streets decked out i n t h e f u l l r e g a l i a o f t h e Church. The elders sing a sorrowful lament known as Populo Meo. On August 25 the rural town finally cele- brates Saint Christopher, its patron saint, in boisterous style. According to a contested e t y m o l o g y , t h e n a m e Caropepe translates as "vil- l a g e o f m y b e l o v e d . " Lorenzo Lantieri, a noted Arabist, believes the name derives from the combination of two Arabic terms: Quaryat (village) and Habibi (of my beloved). There are many sons of Valguarnera Caropepe in the MARIELLA RADAELLI LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE The Holy Family in Valguarnera Caropepe during a procession. (Photo: La Vaccara) Valguarnera Caropepe: reverence for spring and ancestors Children from the Masuzzo-Piazza family in the US (1915) (Photo: Museo Etno Antropologico e dell'Emigrazione) Continued to page 34 THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano

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