Processione dei Giganti (10-14/08)

One of Sicily’s most interesting festivals is the procession of Giants in Messina. According to tradition, Greeks colonized the city founded by a group of Giants that populated the island thousands of years ago. The festival is characterized by two statues of Giants that are carried in procession through the city and made to dance. The two sculptures depict two ambiguous characters: Mata, a local citizen and Grifone, a Muslim pirate. The incredible cruelty of Griffin was stopped by the beautiful Mata that made him fall in love and this odd couple is the representation of opposites such as the White and the Black, Earth and Heaven, the Mother and the Father.