# Festa del Santissimo Crocifisso in Geraci Siculo > Festa del SS. Crocifisso in Geraci Siculo, 3 May: the Christ leaves Santa Maria La Porta carried by barefoot believers, and children walk backwards in front. - Page: https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/festa-del-ss-crocifisso-geraci-siculo/ - Updated: 2026-10-19 - Other languages: [Italiano](https://www.lemadonie.it/eventi/festa-ss-crocifisso-geraci-siculo.md) · [Español](https://www.lemadonie.it/es/eventos/fiesta-del-ss-crocifisso-de-geraci-siculo.md) · [Français](https://www.lemadonie.it/fr/evenements/fete-du-ss-crocifisso-geraci-siculo.md) · [Deutsch](https://www.lemadonie.it/de/veranstaltungen/festa-del-ss-crocifisso-geraci-siculo.md) ## At a glance | | | |---|---| | 2027 edition | 3 May 2027 | | Where | Church of Santa Maria La Porta and village streets, [Geraci Siculo](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/geraci-siculo/) | | Category | Religious festival | | Recurrence | Every year, 3 May | | Organiser | Parrocchia di Geraci Siculo | | Source | https://comune.geracisiculo.pa.it/it/events/ss-crocifisso (checked on 2026-10-19) | ## Programme Date from the Comune's events calendar. Procession with barefoot believers and the crown of thorns, blessed bread handed out at the end. The feast of the Santissimo Crocifisso in [Geraci Siculo](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/geraci-siculo/) is held on 3 May and is purely religious. The statue of Christ leaves the church of Santa Maria La Porta on the shoulders of barefoot believers wearing crowns of thorns; in front walk the children, backwards and barefoot, shouting "Pani e paradisu, pietà, misericordia! Signuri!". At the end blessed bread is handed out. The Comune's calendar lists the next feast for 3 May 2027. Since 2026 the feast has been listed in the Register of Intangible Heritage of Sicily. The entry describes it as one of the village's most intense rites: an austere procession, marked by silence, the children's invocations and powerful ritual gestures. ## The Crocifisso of Santa Maria La Porta The wooden statue dates from the early 17th century, in any case before 1625, and is kept in the church of Santa Maria La Porta, built in the late 15th century. The Comune reports the tradition attributing it to the school of Friar Umile Pintorno, the sculptor friar known as Friar Umile da Petralia: Christ leans forward, with an elaborate loincloth, wounds dripping blood and a face in agony. According to BlogSicilia, on the other hand, tradition links it to a sculptor in the Spanish style. ## The procession on 3 May The faithful carry the statue out of the church barefoot, each with a crown of thorns on his head, in memory of the Passion. The float passes from shoulder to shoulder in turns: devotees compete to carry it. The most moving moment, BlogSicilia writes, is when the Crocifisso comes out of the church's main door. In front of the Christ walk the children, backwards, barefoot, wearing crowns of thorns and holding a cord with which they strike their shoulders. At every burst of firecrackers they kneel. Throughout the procession it is they who ask for "pani e paradisu", bread and paradise, pity and mercy. At the end blessed bread is handed out to the faithful. Many emigrants from Geraci come back to the village just for this procession. In 2020 and 2021 the feast was suspended because of the pandemic; in 2021 Geraci Siculo joined the national association of Città del Santissimo Crocifisso. ## Getting there and where to stay Geraci Siculo is about 44 km from Cefalù (50 minutes, via Castelbuono on the SS286) and about 114 km from Palermo (1 hour 40), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The sources do not mention dedicated parking; for the roads see the [guide to driving in the Madonie](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/roads/). To stay the night see [where to stay in Geraci Siculo](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/geraci-siculo/where-to-stay/) and before you set off the [Geraci Siculo weather](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/weather/geraci-siculo/). A few weeks later, in late May, Geraci hosts the [Festa della Transumanza](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/festa-della-transumanza-geraci-siculo/). The village's other feasts are among the [events in Geraci Siculo](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/geraci-siculo/events/). ## Frequently asked questions ### When is the feast of the Crocifisso in Geraci Siculo? The feast of the Santissimo Crocifisso is held every year on 3 May. The events calendar of the Comune di Geraci Siculo lists the next one for Monday 3 May 2027. In 2020 and 2021 the procession was suspended because of the pandemic. ### What is the procession of the Crocifisso like? The statue of Christ leaves the church of Santa Maria La Porta on the shoulders of barefoot believers, with a crown of thorns on its head, and goes round the village streets. In front walk the children, backwards and barefoot, kneeling at every burst of firecrackers. At the end blessed bread is handed out. ### What do the children shout during the procession? Throughout the procession the youngest ask Jesus: "Pani e paradisu, pietà, misericordia! Signuri!". Bread and paradise, pity and mercy: this plea sets the tone of the feast, which the Comune describes as purely religious, with no folkloric elements. ### Who carved the Crocifisso of Geraci? The wooden statue dates from the early 17th century, before 1625. The Comune reports the tradition attributing it to the school of Friar Umile Pintorno, that is, Friar Umile da Petralia; BlogSicilia writes instead that tradition links it to a sculptor of Spanish taste. The church of Santa Maria La Porta dates from the late 15th century. ### Is the feast intangible heritage? Since 2026 the feast of the Santissimo Crocifisso on 3 May has been listed in the Register of Intangible Heritage of Sicily, with seven other traditions of Geraci Siculo. The entry describes it as an austere procession, marked by silence and the children's invocations. ### How do you get to Geraci Siculo? From Cefalù it is about 44 km (50 minutes) via Castelbuono and the SS286, from Palermo about 114 km (1 hour 40), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The sources do not mention dedicated parking. ## Sources - [Comune di Geraci Siculo, SS. Crocifisso](https://comune.geracisiculo.pa.it/it/events/ss-crocifisso) - [BlogSicilia, Geraci Siculo entra nelle Città del Santissimo Crocifisso (30 aprile 2021)](https://www.blogsicilia.it/palermo/crocifisso-geraci-borgo-turismo/596500/) - [Madonie Press, otto tradizioni di Geraci nel REIS (11 febbraio 2026)](https://www.madoniepress.it/2026/02/11/geraci-siculo-otto-tradizioni-entrano-nel-registro-delle-eredita-immateriali-della-sicilia/) --- Markdown version of the page https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/festa-del-ss-crocifisso-geraci-siculo/, from Le Madonie (lemadonie.it), an independent guide to the Madonie. Facts with source and date of check.