The Feast of the Militia

 

The Feast of the Militia is known around the world for being the only event that commemorates the descent of the Virgin Mary on horseback , armed with a sword , saved the habitants of Scicli him from the saracene incursions . La " party militia " commemorates the victory of Christian soldiers led by the Norman king Roger future against the Saracens, that the Arabs led by the Emir BelKar, war took place for the conquest of the city ( 1091 ) . This is the historical part. La Legend has it that the victory of the Christians took place thanks to the apparition of Our Lady warrior on horseback, an event which resulted in the decision of Roger to build a church in honor of Our Lady of Milizie. The event is precisely  remembered by the inhabitants of Scicli. It is a  preparation of two groups that symbolize Christians and Saracens ready to do battle, to be a fair, from horse racing, the arrival of many of the faithful from neighboring cities , but also sacred elements as the procession of the statue of the Madonna , the pilgrimage to the nearby Donnalucata where , it seems, the Virgin Mary appeared to the aid of the Normans.

The program of the event can be found here