Celebrating the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul at Sciacca Port

Last year we had to leave our home here for 2 months to return to the states for the summer. As we packed up all of our belongings to store in Paolo’s barn, we wistfully saw them set up for the festival down at the port honoring the saints of the fishermen. Pietro and Paolo share this festival, which leaves Paolo to joke that he only gets half a day while we get whole days for San Francisco and San Stefano. Anyway, he is busy dealing with other things-he has to sink two gigantic retaining rods into the soil in his fertile little farm here to hold up that retaining wall that is still falling. In fact, they are now serious about blocking off one of the most popular beach roads in the area, with cement holes drilled in the road to prevent people from pulling away roadblocks. This necessitates us to go the long way round. In addition, the 21 eggs Paolo bought to make chicks for the little farm here had a bad record of hatching, as he only got 3 out of all of them. He wondered why the hens were not eating too until he found out that the hens were eating the eggs!
Anyway, last night we washed out faces and wiped the sheet rock off of our clothes and headed to the festival, with stops at Paolo’s and Christine and Brian’s boat. It was hot and crowded and the port stank, but we saw some lovely sights. The feste was in several stages along the port, with rides in one part, food and drink, and plenty of junk for sale. The church procession caught us by surprise, so I did not have my camera out and only got a picture of the back of it, but the statue of Saint Peter is being carried back to the church in the port at the head of the line, somewhere in front of the balloon man! Don’t ask me what is with the finger extended up and lit up.