Mushar Roots Fest – Ricotta Festival

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On January 6, 2025, the Festival will reach the milestone of the 65th Edition.
In the early morning of January 6th, a group of shepherds accompany the flock of sheep from the countryside to the central Piazza Umberto I. Once the flock has been settled, the shepherds position themselves in the different stations and begin the preparation of the ricotta.
Immediately afterwards the Festival opens with the traditional cutting of the cake and the tasting of the products (ricotta, tuma, ricotta cake and cannoli) made on site begins.
In the afternoon the so-called “Pastorale” begins, a tragi-comic theatrical performance in which two shepherds, Nardo and Riberio, having learned the news of the birth of the Child Jesus, try to find a way to get to the place of his birth.
Within the Pastoral, there is another theatrical performance, the Herodias.
The story of Herod who, informed by the Magi of the birth of the Messiah and new King of Judea, carries out the massacre of the Innocents and in the end, overwhelmed by remorse and despair, dies at the hands of Satan himself.
This event involves all the associations, free citizens, companies and farms that in various ways contribute to the success of the Festival, becoming a strong moment of community aggregation in which ancient popular traditions and crafts are remembered and handed down.
It is the event that, to date, has the greatest tourist attraction in our community, seeing the presence of thousands of visitors from all over Sicily every year.