The festival of San Giuseppe Day (St Joseph's Day) originated in Sicily, where a celebration is held in honour of St Joseph on 19 March. As he is considered the patron saint of people in need, families addressed requests to him and pledged to build an altar of food and then share these offerings with others. The tradition was brought to Laufenburg by immigrants from the Sicilian town of Leonforte. Initially they celebrated in private, until the festival was incorporated into the parish duties in the 1990s. After an exhausting week of preparation, which includes baking bread and preparing typical Sicilian desserts, the celebrations in honour of San Giuseppe commence on the Saturday evening closest to 19 March with a mass held in German and Italian.
This is followed by a procession through the historic part of Laufenburg, a firework display and the blessing of the richly laid altar in the town hall. The subsequent vigil, which includes prayer and singing, ends on the Sunday morning with a service and the ceremony of the seven saints. Once this is over, the festival is brought to a close with the distribution of the altar offerings.
This living tradition does not only serve charitable purposes; it also promotes integration by bringing people together and fostering dialogue and mutual understanding. Thanks to the involvement of Laufenburg's citizens in the preparations and the event itself, the tradition helps to strengthen the solidarity between the members of the town's population.
