Santa Marina Procession in Polistena: Ritual as Antidote to Entropy
On July 17, 2026, the town of Polistena in Calabria, Italy, marked its yearly Santa Marina festival with the 'teoria dei santi' procession. This event featured twenty-four statues, including revered local saints and notable figures such as Sant'Antonio, San Francesco di Paola, and San Rocco, parading out of the church alongside civil and military officials and the community. Author Domenico Ioppolo highlights the importance of this ritual, drawing on Mircea Eliade's idea of ritual as a way to create order from chaos. He posits that it represents a meaningful hierarchy and serves as a counter to accelerationist culture by fostering community and shared significance, ultimately asserting its essential role in maintaining community cohesion amidst disorder.
Key facts
- The feast of Santa Marina in Polistena, Calabria, took place on July 17, 2026.
- The procession features twenty-four statues exiting the church in strict order, surrounding Santa Marina.
- The tradition dates back to the earthquake of 1783 that destroyed Polistena.
- The procession includes local saints and major Calabrian figures like Sant'Antonio, San Francesco di Paola, and San Rocco.
- Civil and military authorities and the public follow the statues.
- The article references Mircea Eliade's theory of ritual as a way to reconstruct cosmos from chaos.
- The author contrasts the ritual with accelerationist culture, mentioning Land, Musk, and Thiel.
- The article is written by Domenico Ioppolo and published on Artribune.
Entities
Artists
- Domenico Ioppolo
Institutions
- Artribune
Locations
- Polistena
- Calabria
- Italy
- Gioia Tauro
- Aspromonte