The patroness of Floridia is Mary Most Holy Immaculate, celebrated on 8 December. On the eve, 7 December, the feast of the «scupiddi» is celebrated: the faithful reach the mother church starting from the church of the Carmine, offering the Madonna votive candles as a sign of devotion and thanksgiving. The tradition takes its name from «brooms» (scupiddi in dialect), because in the past, as the statue of the Virgin passed, women and children would sweep the streets to prepare the procession's path; over time the brooms have been replaced by candles decorated with ribbons and bows, which preserve their symbolic value.
The new settlement of Floridia grew up around the pre-existing church of San Bartolomeo, the community's first religious building, following a regular urban layout developed along the present-day Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Roma. The dukes of Floridia long retained patronage over the main local religious institutions, and numerous family members were buried in the mother church, testifying to the deep bond with the town they founded.
