THE SICILIAN EASTER
"At Easter every Sicilian feels not only a spectator, but an actor, first of all a pained one, then exultant one, of a mystery that is his very existence"
So said the writer Gesualdo Bufalino.
The popular participation in the rites of Holy Week, in Sicily, is widespread in all segments of the population, sometimes transcending religious faith; but what is most striking is the variety of the rituals. It goes from Holy Friday in Enna, with dramatic tones, where thousands of hooded men parade in a procession as spectacular as eerie until late at night, to the explosion of Dionysian energy of the celebrations of the Living Man Feast, the so called "Gioia" (Joy), also sung by the Italian songwriter Vinicio Capossela, which are held in Scicli on Easter day.
Ispica, Holy Thursday 2024
Procession of the Christ at the column
Enna, Holy Friday 2024
Procession of the hooded
Scicli, Easter Day 2024
Il Gioia, the Living Man Feast
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