The third edition of “XIPHIAS – The historic swordfish hunt” will be held today, Saturday 5 September, at 5.30 pm, in the evocative setting of Lago Grande di Ganzirri, initially scheduled for Sunday 2 August and postponed following the tragic collapse of the Pistunina building. The initiative, coordinated by the SIMONE Cooperative Society, was born with the aim of bringing back to the scene one of the most fascinating and ancient maritime traditions of the Strait: the historic “swordfish hunt”, once practiced through the use of two boats, the “Feluca da posta” and the “Luntro”, today reunited in the modern felucca that we all know. The mayor Federico Basile and the councilors for Tourism and Popular Traditions Enzo Caruso and Sports Policies Stello Vadalà will be present at the event.
The program will therefore start at 5.30 pm with the opening of the event and, at 6.30 pm, with some rowing competitions, in the single and double specialties, coordinated by the Provincial Rowing Federation. Following, the highlight of the day: the scenic re-enactment of the “swordfish hunt”, which will allow the public, located along the shores of Lake Grande, to witness up close and with participation the revival of an ancient practice of the Strait’s seafaring. A small fake swordfish, towed by a small boat, will be chased by the Luntro, on board which four rowers and a harpooner will take their places, re-enacting the excited phases of the traditional hunt. The elderly fishermen of the Riviera will once again give life to the spectacular simulation, authentic custodians of a memory that would otherwise risk being definitively lost. Thanks to their experience and their stories, the ancient protagonists of the Strait will thus come back to life: lanzatùri, banniatûri, antinnèri, rematuri and the entire colorful universe of traditional seafaring that once gravitated around the “piscispatàri”, together with shipwrights, calafàti, remolari, confiniddàri, ferrara and other workers linked to the culture of the sea.
“XIPHIAS” will therefore not just be a spectacular re-enactment, but a real journey into the history, culture and maritime traditions of Messina and the Strait, entrusted to the voice and gestures of those who lived and passed down that culture.
At the end of the event, the Holy Mass will be celebrated, officiated by the parish priest of the Church of S. Nicola, Father Antonello Angemi.