Festival of St Restituta – Eden Sellick
The streets are busy
My cousins are pushing through the crowd, but I hold my mamma’s hand tight
She is looking for papa
This is his favourite time of year
He says that this festival is for our patron Saint
I don’t know what it means but mamma and papa say she was very brave and holy
Her name was Saint Restituta
She was from a place called Africa
But I don’t know where that is either
Nonna says she was burned on a boat but was saved by an angel
Then she arrived here
In Lacco Ameno
Mamma says I am lucky to be born in a place so holy “Where is papa?” I ask
“Where he always is this time of May”
My Papa walks out of a big building
I think it’s called a basil Or a basilisk
A basilica!
He says it’s like the house for her spirit Where we can tell her that we love her
And where we can show we learn from her bravery
She died because she didn’t want to do what the scary people told her
When she was found here a woman named Lucina praised God through the streets
Papa says that’s why we walk the streets today
We have a wooden statue that gets carried all around our little island of Ischia
And there’s lots of music
And dancing
And at the very end At my favourite part
There’s fireworks
They sparkle in the sky They’re red
And green
And sometimes blue
I stayed up all night because I was so excited for the fireworks
The old people of the town say the children do not understand the festival
That we do not know the strength that Saint Restituta had to have
Some children don’t even know who Saint Restituta was Mamma made sure to teach me
There are lessons in the past
If I pray everyday then maybe I too can be saved like Saint Restituta
Maybe one day I can be a saint
And there will be a festival for me
I hope it’s on a good day
A nice warm summer day
My festival must be lots of fun With candy for all the children
And they wouldn’t have to follow any rules for an entire day
And all the mammas and papas would have to do the chores
That would be a very fun festival
Maybe when I turn 9 they will make me a saint
I wonder if you get any money from being a saint
It would be a fun job I think
Walking around Waving your hands Blessing people Saying prayers
It doesn’t sound too hard
Papa says we are moving to a new place soon
A place called Australia
I wonder if they have any festivals there With big feasts
And lots of families
I wonder if they talk funny
Do they have a patron saint?
I bet they drink lots of wine at the festivals just like we do
And they probably sit with all their family and friends
It will be sad though because none of our family will be there
It will be just us
Alone
What about Nonno? And Nonna?
And all my cousins?
Everyone else will have all their family except us
I don’t want to go to Australia
They probably only have boring festivals
Or no festivals at all
It’s probably a
Sad
Boring
Place
I want to stay here in Ischia
Mamma is yelling my name
The fireworks are about to start
I scramble through the crowd
I cannot find my family anywhere
I see them near the bay
I squeeze through the mass of people to get to them
Everyone is hushed
And then
The first firework goes off
And then
Everything is dark
I wake to find papa laughing at me
He says I was so tired from staying up the night before that I passed out
I was exhausted
Papa caught me before I hit my head
My cousins won’t stop teasing me because they think I got scared of the fireworks
I’m so mad that I’m red
Mamma tells me to run outside to feel better Last year I missed out because I was sick
And this year
When I am a whole year older
I miss out again
Because I could not stay awake
Mamma remins me that there is always next year Then I can watch the fireworks
I must make sure I sleep
So I can see the dancing lights The red sparkles
The blue beams
The yellow speckles
And all the sounds as everyone adores the fireworks with me
And when I move to Australia and am grown I will make sure to visit my little island of Ischia
Maybe I will bring my wife
And kids
And they will all celebrate the festival of Restituta
And I will tell my sons and daughters of her sacrifice
Just as papa told me
I will visit the basilica just as papa does
And my wife will let my kids run in the festival just as my mamma does
And then I will tell them the story of how I fell asleep
And my family laughed at me
And then maybe they will laugh at me too.