A SICILIAN PROVERB TO MEDITATE ON: CAVADDU GASTIMATU CI LUCI LU PILU (CURSED HORSES HAVE GLOSSY COATS)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

The Sicilian verb, ‘gastimare’ cannot be translated into other languages literally. It has a negative connotation, for it includes backbiting, curse, evil eye, and ill feeling.

The word, cavaddu (horse) is a metaphor for someone you hate. Since you rage mounts more and more, you cast curses against the person you hate, but the more you persist in acting this way, the more healthy and flourishing the one you curse grows.

It is a paradox! The gastima (curse and slander) instead of weakening the cursed one, weakens the one who casts it.

Words have vibrations. While good words are beneficial to everybody, bad words give rise to negative vibrations that poison the mind of the person who utters them.

What is the moral of the proverb? Your curses and backbiting have no effect on your enemy, rather they fortify him. Therefore, you had better talk to him and express your complaints face to face.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

U MURTU NSIGNA A CHIANCIRI (THE DEAD PERSON TEACHES YOU TO CRY)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

The Sicilian proverb, U Murtu nsigna a chianciri (The dead person teaches you to cry), means that there is only one master in life. It is life itself. There is no better teacher than life! Just as the death of a loved one makes a person who has never cried cry, so the various life situations teach how to behave.

The proverb does not rule out the teachings you can get in schools and universities. However, if you do not live your life fully, all your learning will become a dead letter.

Even Gautama Siddhartha realized that living life would be much more instructive than the teachings he received in his royal palace. By living life, he stumbled upon suffering. He felt compassion for those who suffered, and in the end he became Buddha.

Suffering, fear, adversities are not always negative, for they fortify the one who comes across them. Some people learn the life’s teachings immediately, others later or even at old age. You never stop learning. Better later than never!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MY REVIEW OF ON PERSEPHONE’S ISLAND BY MARY TAYLOR SIMETI

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Mary Taylor Simeti is an American woman that has lived in Sicily since her marriage.

Her book, On Persephone’s Island, is at the same time her diary and also an essay on life in Sicily as she sees it with her own eyes and ideas. Actually, everyone who describes a place, a situation and even a historical event adds something personal to the narration.

Of note, the parallel she makes between Sicily of today and Greek Sicily. Actually, Sicily was Greece, as the south of Italy and the western coast of today’s Turkey. Great Greece was made of city-states. All of them gave life to Greek civilization.

Very interesting is the reference she makes to the Eleusinian Mysteries and the Thesmophoria, both in honor of Demeter, whose most important temple was in Enna, Sicily. The Eleusinian Mysteries and the Thesmophoria were esoteric rites. Only the initiates were allowed to take part in them.

Overall, this book contains useful information about Sicily, its culture and traditions.

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

MOUNT ETNA SEEN FROM THE ROAD TO CATANIA AIRPORT

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Every time I leave Sicily for a travel, coming from Enna, my hometown, I pass by Mount Etna, the biggest volcano in Europe. It is still active and it erupts once in a while. However, the Sicilians call it ‘The Good Volcano’, for it never kills. When it erupts, the lava flows slowly down its slopes and gives people time to get to safety.

In Greek mythology, Hephaestus, the husband of Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, lived inside Etna and forged lightning bolts for Zeus, who was able to defeat the Titans thanks to the bolts forged by Hephaestus.

The Sicilians also call it ‘Mongibello’. They are so proud of their volcano that in the song ‘Sciuri, Sciuri’ (Flowers, flowers) which can be considered the Sicilian national anthem, they sing, ‘We are all children of Mongibello.’

The bus has just arrived at the airport. We will be out of Sicily for three months. “Goodbye, beloved Mongibello Mountain. See you soon!”

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English version)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English version)

– The Vibrations of Words (English version)

– Travels of the Mind (English version)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (versione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (versione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

DIFFERENT CULTURES SHARE SIMILAR PROVERBS

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Yesterday, while reading The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham, I came across this proverb: ‘You can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink.’

The reading reminded me of a similar Sicilian proverb: ‘Quannu u sceccu un voli viviri ie inutili friscarici’ (When a donkey doesn’t want to drink, it is useless to whistle at it).

In the past, Sicilian farmers used to take their donkeys to the watering trough. Sometimes, the donkey was reluctant to drink. In this case, the master whistled at it to make it thirsty. Usually, after a short whistle, the donkey drank his fill. However, it could happen that the animal stubbornly refused to drink. Continuing to whistle was of no avail.

What is the meaning of the above-mentioned proverbs? When someone does not want to do something, they will not do, despite your insistence. In this case, you had better give up trying to convince them.

Different countries, different customs, but folk wisdom is the same wherever you go!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

A SICILIAN PROVERB TO KEEP IN MIND: ‘A SQUAGLIATA DA NIVI SI VIDUNU I PURTUSA’ (WHEN SNOW MELTS, POTHOLES WILL APPEAR)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

After a heavy snowfall, the snow-covered roads look beautiful, soft, and smooth, but when snow melts, potholes appear.

Obviously, the snow-covered road is a metaphor. What the proverb means is that when the veil of illusion covering your real being is removed, you will show your real nature and shortcomings.

A friend of mine once told me that he was going to get married to a girl he had come across through a dating site.

“Do you know her?” I asked him.

“I have never met her,” he replied, “but I’ve seen her picture on the computer and I’ve been chatting with her for a year. She is very beautiful and smart!”

A few months later, I met him again. He was a bit depressed, for the engagement had fallen apart. In fact, when he met the girl face to face, she was not beautiful at all. Her photo on the dating site was just a bait.

The moral of the story? We had better be straightforward and show ourselves as we are, otherwise ‘A squagliata da nivi si vidunu I purtusa! (When snow melts, potholes will appear!)

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

SNOW IN ENNA (SICILY) GREETS LUNAR NEW YEAR

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

I consider myself a citizen of the world, beyond creeds, fixed ideas, and religions. I dare say that I accept all religions, as Alexander the Great did. Whenever he conquered a new country, he paid homage to the local gods and even made sacrifices to them.

Having this forma mentis, I celebrate New Year’s Day twice: once according to the solar calendar and once according to the lunar calendar. Lunar New Year falls on January 22, this year.

We had a tasty lunch, and then we watched the snow falling in Enna. Soon, a white mantle enveloped the city.

It was amazing to see the snow-covered streets and the white roofs. It does not happen often in Enna, in these days of global warming.

The white color of the snow is a symbol of candor and purification. I love snow!

I hope the New Year will bring into the world the candor, innocence, and peace it has been missing for a long time!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SICILIAN PROVERB: CUMU VENI SI CUNTA (WE WILL TELL THE STORY OF AN EVENT AFTER IT HAS HAPPENED)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

The literal translation of this Sicilian proverb ‘We will tell the story of an event after it has happened’ does not fully express its meaning.  The hidden meaning is ‘Wait until an event or a situation really happens, and then you can tell the story about it. Do not create a future event in your mind. You have to live your life here and now. The future does not exist, because we do not know what is going to happen tomorrow.’

This proverb recalls the ‘Carpe diem’ (Seize the moment) by the Latin poet, Horatio, The Song of Bacchus by Lorenzo dei Medici, and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

Having in mind the old Sicilian proverb ‘Cumu veni si cunta’, we will learn not to be involved in situations or happenings that do not exist yet. We will live our life here and now!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THE CATHEDRAL OF SYRACUSE, ALSO KNOWN AS THE TEMPLE OF ATHENA

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

More than once, I have visited the Cathedral of Syracuse and every time I have been impressed by the interior of the church, which is nothing more than the old temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, still well preserved.

The columns with their Doric capitals are intact and even the drapes of the Virgin Mary’s robes recall those of the Greek goddesses.

Paradoxically, the Catholic Church saved this pagan temple by incorporating it into the Cathedral Church.

This also happened in other places. For instance, the Church of San Clemente, near the Colosseum, houses the Temple of Mithra, still visible in the second basement. The same goes for the Pantheon, in Rome, built by the pagan emperor Hadrian to worship all gods of all nations and now turned into the Church of Santa Maria della Rotonda.

What can we infer from this? The desire to worship God has always been present in human beings, from the Stone Age to the present day. Let us be tolerant of all religions and cults!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo

THE LIVE NATIVITY SCENE IN CALASCIBETTA (SICILY)

Posted on by Ettore Grillo

Yesterday, we went to the nearby town of Calascibetta.  This charming old town was once dotted with caves where people used to live. Nowadays, new buildings have covered much of the caves. However, there is an area, where they still survive. In this place, the local population has set up a live Nativity Scene inside the caves, with men, women, and children dressed in a similar way to that at the time of Jesus’s birth.

We walked along the caves and savored the charm of times gone by, when human heart was more alive, tools were handmade, the food was natural, and the air not polluted.

After visiting the caves, we tasted local products: chickpea soup, cheese, and local sweets.

The live Nativity Scene in Calascibetta stands not only for tourists. It also has a deep religious meaning!

Ettore Grillo, author of these books:

– November 2: The Day of the Dead in Sicily (English edition)

– A Hidden Sicilian History (English edition)

– The Vibrations of Words (English edition)

– Travels of the Mind (English edition)

– Una Storia Siciliana Nascosta (edizione in lingua italiana)

– Viaggi della Mente (edizione in lingua italiana)

http://www.amazon.com/author/ettoregrillo