The Feast of San Martino in Sicily is a celebration of the first wine of the year, chestnuts, and camaraderie for the locals. Italians celebrate this holiday every year on November 11th.
There are a few Sicilian towns where this is a huge celebration, along with some other cities in Italy. The notable celebrations in Sicily take place in San Martino delle Scale, Castelbuono, and Erice. They will organize a “sagra” or a food festival.
Who Was San Martino?
Saint Martin of Tours, or San Martino, was a Roman soldier who became a monk. Legend has it that he would cut his cloak to share with a freezing beggar. Thus, the act became legendary and is celebrated as a symbol of generosity and harvest.
Biscotti di San Martino
On this day, the bakeries will bake a special cookie along with roasted chestnuts.
Biscotti duri – this means hard biscuits or cookies, and they are perfect for soaking in a dessert wine like Marsala.
Biscotti ripieni – these are a softer version, meaning “filled cookies” in Italian, with ricotta, chocolate, or jam.
San Martino, also known as the Feast of the Cuckolds.
There is also a dubious honor, if that is what you want to call it, that occurs on this day.
San Martino is also known as the patron saint of those who have been scorned by their spouse’s infidelity.
Thus, it is also known as the Festa dei Cornuti.
Cornuto can mean bastard or cuckold in Italian, and they can signify it with horns.
This came about because, as men were busy selling livestock —cattle, oxen, and boars —they were also partying and drinking wine.
The women felt abandoned and thus looked for other lovers on this day to take the place of their husbands.
And thus, the Festa dei Cornuti became a dubious honor for this day as well.
The Feast of San Martino is a toast to tradition, a religious observance, with a bit of humor thrown in about the cuckoldry. It celebrates all the aspects of life —wine, warmth, sharing, and drama!
If you find yourself in Sicily around mid-November, you should seek out a town with this festival.
