A bedda Caniattinese

The Sicilian shawl represents a real icon of our popular costume. Simple in its usually triangular shape, the shawl also recalls the divine triad of Catholicism. Its use, in fact, is particularly linked to religious ceremonies, giving off a strong votive nature. But, above all, here in Sicily the shawl was the symbol of amorous seal. A shawl was the gift that the mother-in-law brought on the day of the official engagement, at least until the first half of the last century. A shawl whose material it was made of was at the same time a symbol of economic position. There were woolen shawls, crocheted, and the richer the weave and the thinner the cotton, the more valuable it was.

Canicattì is a town in the southern part of Sicily. With a strong agricultural vocation, the town has a marked Sicilian imprint. In Canicattì there is the Accademia del Parnaso a cultural club founded in 1922 that, above all in early times, was a rather bizarre academy that brought together people of different political and cultural backgrounds, ideas and character and which included professionals, priests, hosts, poets, philosophers, etc.

(photo) The scecca (mule) by Decu Martines, symbol of the Accademia del Parnaso