 Only Holy Week in Seville, and the Corpus Domini ceremony in Cuzco,
Peru, can compare, in terms of popularity, to the festivities that have
been held in honour of St. Agatha for the past five centuries. For
three whole days, from the 3rd to the 5fth of February, Catanians and
tourists swarm in the streets, numbering to almost a million. Specific
itineraries and celebrations are dedicated each day to the Patron,
though the 4th and 5th stand out as St. Agatha passes through the eight
neighbourhoods on her silver carriage (Catanians call it, specifically,
«fercolo» or, more commonly, «vara»), and during these intense days,
the city turns into one unified flock marching behind the Patron.
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