The message of the mayor Federico Basile for the centenary of the Vara
Faith undoubtedly represents the strength that pushes us to move forward every day. In these very difficult days for Messina, I believe that each of us, in our own way, has relied on faith to find the strength to continue, to try to accept a tragedy to which it is impossible to make sense. And it is precisely in faith that, on this August 15th so different from the others, Messina returns to find itself and rally around its Vara. La Vara has never been just a party. It is something that belongs to the deepest part of Messina. It crosses generations, families, memories. I believe that every person from Messina has an image, a voice, a moment in their life linked to August 15th. It is a religious tradition, certainly, but it is also the moment in which an entire city recognizes itself and finds itself. This year we get there by also carrying within us the pain of the Pistunina tragedy. They were terrible days. But even in those days Messina knew how to be a community. We saw it in the solidarity, in the tireless work of those who did not stop, in the affection with which the city clung to the affected families. Maybe this is also why I will look at Vara with different eyes.
I think of the thousands of people who will be there and I think above all of who will pull those strings. There is something in that gesture that goes beyond tradition. To make the Vara walk you have to go together, you have to hold the same rope and pull everyone from the same side. Ultimately, that’s what a community should do. And it is an image that I feel even more mine as mayor. Messina has known pain many times and has found the strength to get up many times. He did it without forgetting. Because moving forward does not mean forgetting what has been, but taking it with us and finding the strength to continue. I would like this Vara to be a big hug to the city. A moment to find ourselves, to look at each other and remember that Messina is not just the place where we live. Messina is us, with our stories, our difficulties, our hopes and the ability to be there for each other when needed. When Vara begins its journey, I will feel the pride of being the mayor of this city. But above all I will feel the privilege and weight of being one of his children. And together with all the other people of Messina we will pull that same rope. We will do it with the memory of those who are no longer here, with respect for the pain of those who remain and with the hope of a city that always manages to find itself and feel like a community.