I Ramarri – literally the ‘branch holders’ – are a group of men from the town of Troina, in Sicily, that every May walk more than 20 kilometres into the forest, now known as the Parco dei Nebrodi, to reach a forest of laurel with pre-Christian traditions and bring back the branches.

It is the start of a three-week cele-bration of the Feast of all Feasts, Lu principi della festa, in honour of the local patron St Sylvester, but in reality it is a confirmation of the link between the citizens of this mountain town and the forest that in the past gave them all they needed to survive.

The Nebrodi is a unique area in central Sicily. Though just under a two-hour drive away from Catania, on the other side of Mount Etna, facing Calabria and the Aeolian Islands, it is a world unto itself.

It is a land of pristine lakes and high mountain peaks. Even the lake created by a hydro dam made many years ago has been reclaimed by nature.

You would think that you are in an Alpine region. It is always much colder than the rest of Sicily.

In May, when the feast of St Sylvester is held, it can be zero degrees up in the mountains.

Horses, known as fratellino, wild pigs and many birds find their home in these peaks. The area is also known for its Nebrodini mushrooms.

Troina is a city with a history going back hundreds of years.

There are remains from the Bronze Age in this area and there used to be a Greek temple in the place now occupied by a niche to St Sylvester in the middle of the laurel forest.

Historically, Troina is best known for its importance in the Norman era.

Count Roger made it his capital for more than 30 years before he moved to Palermo.

When the pope of the time needed to meet the count to end a strong disagreement that was creating friction between them, he went to Troina to meet him.

It is within this background that the feast of St Sylvester has been nominated for the intangible World Heritage List of Unesco.

It is far from the normal southern European feasts of processions, bands and fireworks. Rather, it is a proclamation of the strong links between man and the forest.

In the first weekend, the Ramarri travel on foot towards the spiritual forest. They go through a route that has been followed for hundreds of years.

It is far from the normal feast of processions, bands and fireworks. It is a proclamation of the close links between man and forest

As the 500-plus men leave the town at night, all the residents are there to see them start their journey, after they visit the church in which the saint is buried.

It is an overnight trip, filled with singing, over many hills.

At one point they come across a medevial bridge. They do not go over the bridge but through the shallow river valley as they need to purify themselves.

They are followed by agricultural means of transport bringing in tents and supplies for the three-day trip.

When they arrive they set up camp in an open area in the forest. However, around 150 of the men continue their journey down into a very deep valley, to the laurel.

On the day after, the men who stayed at base camp form a continuous line to await the return of those returning with the laurel branches.

It is a moment of joy and great emotion as each man greets the other men in the line, stating “ben arrivati, ben trovati”.

Some actually cry. It is a moment of forgiveness, in which the men embrace each other and forgive and forget any problems they may have had between them.

It was an enormous honour for me to be the only outsider Ramarro there and join this moment.

After some drinking and eating of a special bread, the men form a circle and Mass is held.

In reality, this is the only moment that is linked to the faith.

After Mass, the men eat a generous feast of forest goods, especially meat, cheeses and mushrooms.

When darkness starts to fall, in freezing temperatures, the men form a circle again and some men step out of the circle and sing praises to saints and other prayers in the local Sicilian dialect.

In the morning of the third day, they start their journey back. This time they have a great amount of laurels with them.

They walk through a specific route in the forest, with great significance. They now go over the bridge and it is there that they are reunited with the rest of the town, including the women, and walk together into town.

It is a procession of laurels along the main street of the town.

In the weekend after this, another distinct group of men, and some women, make roughly the same pilgrim on horses, which are beautifully decorated for the occasion.

This group, the Ddarat, somewhat in competition with the former group, will stay less time in the forest as they arrive much quicker on their horses.

On their way out of town, they traditionally give qubbajt to the people in the streets.

The actual procession is held on the third weekend. This becomes a procession like many others in southern Europe.

There are bands and fireworks and the usual traditions linked to these feasts, with some differences. The saint’s statue is lined with coloured laurels that are held by many men.

The laurel is the central part of the feast as it is the symbol of the forest

The community welcomes outsiders as if they have always been their friends. They give you laurels as a sign of this bond.

The strong link between the town people and the forest is still very strong, in spite of the modern changes of society. In Troina, the feast brings everyone together in unity with the forest.