Mediterranean rites and the centrality of food

Rites in the Mediterranean are a way of feeling connected to the territory and to traditions.

The word rite, of Sanskrit origin, means trend, disposition, or custom and has, as its root the prefix ri- which means to go, to flow. Rituals are customs that define us and tell us something about ourselves. Whether they are archaic rites, like the one we will explore in this article, or modern rites, such as court proceedings or going to a stadium to watch a game, they are all collective “modern rites” that characterize our societies. But let’s explore rituals at their origin by getting to know those of the Mediterranean islands.

Rites that mark time

Rituals and festivals that mark the passing of time and the passing of the various seasons pervade the Mediterranean culture. It is no coincidence that many festivals occur in spring, the period of rebirth after a long winter, for the arrival of the beautiful season and the fertility of the Earth.

All the Mediterranean, at this time of year, is studded with local festivities and naturally also our Marettimo. From March 17 to 19, the island celebrates St. Joseph, the saint of the island. St. Joseph, the father of Jesus, is a very important figure in the Christian tradition and is a symbol of humility and dedication. In Marettimo, St. Joseph is celebrated by mixing “the sacred with the profane,” alternating Christian rituals that take place in places of worship and moments of celebration, including concerts and outdoor banquets. The cult of this saint is felt so strongly by the islanders that many return from various parts of Italy or even from abroad to celebrate him. This involvement includes people of all ages, from the oldest to the youngest as Emanuele Sardina, the representative of the Committee of St. Joseph tells us “They leave their cell phones for these three days of celebration. There is no one who will tell you I don’t want to participate, it’s impossible. My granddaughter, who is still small, asks me: ‘Grandpa, when can I join the St. Joseph Committee?’”

Giving through food

Local rituals are closely tied to food, to foods that become transmitters of values and symbols in themselves. Eating has often been defined as an act of incorporation (Fischler, 1994), which goes far beyond the biological incorporation of nutritional elements. By eating, values are incorporated and social rituals are reinforced. Eating is a magical act. We see this in the story of the Rite of the Alloggiate, the most important rite of the Feast of St. Joseph in Marettimo.

The Rite of the Alloggiate begins at 10 am on March 19th when the Bishop arrives and is picked up. It begins with the sacred mass held by the Bishop. Then there are three figures, representing the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) who simulate their wandering around in search of lodging for the night. During this scene, we sing a typical song: “tired and hungry.” The three are seen opening the door of the church, they have finally found lodging, and to the applause of all the Marettimani, they enter. The three figures take their places on the table set up for them by the committee and begin to eat. Food (sweets, appetizers) is brought to the table for Mary and Joseph’s meal.

This ritual scene symbolizes the idea par excellence of “giving through food,” giving and giving oneself through food. It is really by giving that the Marettimari, who rely on the Saint ask for protection and good wishes, such as for bad weather at sea.

“For St. Joseph, panuozzoli are cooked. They are small loaves of bread that are distributed to the entire population. Legend has it that these loaves of bread are used to calm the sea when the weather is bad,” Emanuele tells us again.

It is the gift and counter-gift theorized by Marcel Mauss, anthropologist, in 1924 in his “Essay on the gift.” How many of these characteristics are preserved in our food?

Contemporary nutrition has, at times, lost this notion of gift and has moved towards other major “currents” that direct our relationship with food, such as, for example, medicalization, inclusion in a legal framework or the patrimonialization of food. The relationship between man and animal has changed and, finally, food has taken on the character of a food problem linked to the environment. This shows us how much our relationship to food has changed over time.

The beauty of not knowing how to tell and “personal blossoming”

Emanuele Sardina, who has always participated in the Feast of Saint Joseph, makes us participants in the beauty of not knowing how to tell. When we ask him to talk about the feast and to describe the rites, it is with difficulty that he manages to find the right words: “An adjective to describe the feast? I don’t know… wonderful maybe. But one thing is certain. After 40/50 years of seeing this feast, is it possible that during the rite of the lodgings I have to be moved, and as I am moved, so is everyone else?” he tells us with a certain tension, but also a certain joy in his voice.

We are often accustomed, in the world in which we live today, to having to describe, detail, break down and analyze what happens, but when faced with events like these that almost reach the state of ecstasy or “ancestral” as the interviewee describes them, it is complicated to find the right words. This value is very important today, the freedom not to say, not to know how to say, the freedom not to have to justify an emotion but simply make it happen.

They talk about it with great sweetness, Gancitano and Colamedici in their book “The society of performance” (2018, Ed. Tlon), stating that we have forgotten these unspeakable aspects. We must educate ourselves on a process of personal flowering that does not have the purpose of strengthening the bulb and creating a plantation of flowers all the same, but that has more to do with waiting and listening. […] (This process) is not functional, it does not make people produce more, it is not quantifiable, it does not create more productive and determined individuals.”

Perhaps this is one of the secrets of the Mediterranean.

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