Presentazione del Ciliu degli Emigrati - Racalmuto 2023

The new Cilio of the Emigrants (Ciliu degli Emigrati), was inaugurated during the 1st International Festival of the Emigrants held in Racalmuto, Sicily on July 5th, 2023. The two day festival immediately preceded the 3 day Festa Della Madonna Del Monte. The idea for the "Ciliu degli Emigrati" came from Giancarlo Matteliano of the "Vivi Racalmuto" Association.
Following the Ciliu's inauguration, it joined in the annual parade dedicated to the Madonna Del Monte as a welcome addition to the largest and historically most important Cilio dei Borgesi - for whom a fight takes place during the festival to conquer a banner with the image of the Madonna - and the two linked to the guilds of the “Cicirara” and the “Ugliara”.
Over time, emigration has emptied the town of Racalmuto, a small town in the Agrigento area where hundreds of Racalmutese around the world had eventually became thousands, with the birth of each new generation of Racalmutese. In Hamilton, Canada alone, nearly 30,000 Hamiltonians can trace their roots to this small village. The presence of so many Racalmutese in Hamilton has been celebrated through the very vibrant twinning relationship between these two communities. Mayor Andrea Horwath of Hamilton was on hand, as were other municipal representatives of Belgium and other communities holding pockets of Racalmutese, to inaugurate the new Ciliu of the Emigrants.
This new Cilio represents all Racalmutesi around the world and creates an opportunity for new generations (children and grandchildren of those who have left Racalmuto) know about their roots, what Racalmuto was in their past, and what it is today. The ciliu also is a symbol of cultural and economic ties between the City of Hamilton and Racalmuto.
The new Ciliu was created by the sculptor Giuseppe Agnello, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Palermo and sculptor of the Sciascia statues in both Racalmuto and Hamilton, as well as the Camilleri Statue in Agrigento. In its creation, Agnello, thought of the Cilio having the symbols belonging to the Racalmutesi in the world, such as the roots; and then the colours belonging to the Madonna del Monte (gold and blue).
Participating in the festival were hundreds of Racalmutesi from Hamilton, Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, the United States and perhaps, other parts of the world. The Ciliu was realized through a vibrant fundraising campaign that reached all of these communities. It could be said that the Ciliu of the Emigrants was funded, primarily, by the Emigrants themselves. The video was recorded by Sicilia Canta co-president, Sam Cino, who was in Racalmuto with co-president, Joe Baiardo, to present the Sicilia Canta Canada: BackToOurROOTS show as the concluding event of the first Festa degli Emigrati.