Rahal Mut

During the Arab period in Sicily, the "Rahal" connected the most important town of the island. These were located in areas rich in water sources with fertile and cultivable land. Their strategic position along the main arteries of communication and the good conditions for life allowed their rapid development. The Rahal also assumed the function of resting place for those who moved from one center to another, finding food, water and a bed for the night. With the end of Arab domination only the most important and populous "Rahal" survived and became urban centers, such as Racalmuto.

THE FEAST OF MARIA DEL MONTE

The Madonna del Monte is the Queen and Co-patron of Racalmuto, and on the second Sunday of July of every year, she is enthusiastically celebrated by the town. The feast begins on the previous Friday, with the historical re-enactment of the miracle of 1503. The Virgin’s simulacrum is paraded in the town streets on a float pulled by two oxen. The float is followed by a cortege of horse riders in costumes of, to remember the arrival in Racalmuto of the prince Gioieni. When the float reaches Piazza Crispi, the followers re-enact the Virgin’s arrival in town. On Sunday morning, the worshippers, followed by donkeys loaded with bags of wheat, reach the Sanctuary of S. Maria del Monte on foot, and some daring horsemen climb the staircase that leads to the Sanctuary and enter into it on their horses. The feast ends with the procession of the Virgin on a float shaped like a ship.