Hamilton’s Racalmuto: Immigration, Cultural Identity, and the Festa del Monte

and the United States."Between 1876 and 1915 more than seven million Italians immigrated to the Americas" (Harney 16).Racalmuto and La Festa della Madonna del Monte Racalmuto is located in a predominantly agricultural area of south-central Sicily.It has a population of about 10,000 inhabitants.Today, the town often is referred to as il paese di Leonardo Sciascia.Sciascia , through his extraordinary works of literature and political essays, has helped raise Racalmuto's profile on both the Sicilian and the International scene.4The history of the town, however, mirrors the history of Sicily in general.Although the municipality of Racalmuto officially came into existence around 1232, by order of Emperor Frederick II of Swabia (see Martorana 85; Regione Siciliana 30), the community's roots reach much deeper into the area's historic and prehistoric past.The origins of the community, for example, can be traced to a 9t Century village constructed by the Arabs.The name Racalmuto comes from the Arabic Rahal Maut, meaning "dead" or "abandoned" village.The Arabs named the village Rahal Maut to signify that it was built on or near the ruins of an archaeological site (Martorana; Messana; Parisi; Regione Siciliana).Within the general vicinity of Racalmuto, a number of archaeological sites or materials have been found dating back to the Sican and Greco-Roman periods.With the Norman conquest of the second half of the 11 Century, various customs and practices were introduced, or re-introduced, to the area-including Christianity as the official religion.The Blessed Virgin Mary is an important religious figure in Mediterranean countries such as Spain and Italy (see Carroll; Primeggia "La Via Vecchia"; Wolf 294-296).In Sicily, Mary, the Madonna, is recognized officially as the patron saint of the island (see Correnti, Leggende di Sicilia 71-75).5At a more local level, the people of Racalmuto recognize Maria SS. del Monte as their patron saint.According to Racalmutese 3 The area, however, is also known for its salt and, in the past, sulphur mines.The town also serves as a centre of commerce for a number of smaller communities in the vicinity.4 Some of Leonardo Sciascia's writings actually focus, directly or indirectly, on Racalmuto itself -for example, Le parrocchie di Regalpetra and Morte dell'inquisitore.These two works are published together, in English translation, as Salt in the Wounds (1969).5 According to Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum (7-9), this special devotion to Mary may be linked, indirectly, to a much older Earth Mother tradition dating back to the prehistoric period in Sicily.For a discussion of the myth and cult of Mary in the Christian tradition see Warner.

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