Representation of the Trial and Hanging of the Old Woman Sykos in Messina
Spread the word
The Theatre Workshop of Messina (THEM) on Ash Monday at noon will revive the custom of the hanging and trial of Old Sykou by Ibrahim Pasha in Kremala in Messina.
The legend of the old woman Sykou is emblematic of Messina. It has been preserved to this day due to its association with a Halloween custom that we have come to know as incomplete and without an explanation of its origin, that of the gallows.
It is an adaptation of the myth, with various variations, which has existed in written and oral tradition for more than 100 years.
The central idea is the hanging of the old woman named Sykou by Ibrahim. Ibrahim, who had camped at Nisi (i.e. today's Messina), hanged the old lady after she had told and explained to him the dream she had seen which predicted his destruction.