The Rites of the "Holy Week" in the province of Ragusa
In Comiso Easter Week celebrations are held across the sacred rites of Christian origin , during which Christ's passion, death and resurrection ,are commemorated. This is deeply felt by the local citizens. On holy Wednesday there is a solemn procession that starts from the "mother church" and then, there are three laps, the first of which , which takes place near the church of San Biagio is dedicated to the priests, according to the confraternity of the Holy Mary . The Easter procession continues all day long on Easter Sunday . On Good Friday a second procession is organized, during which they carry the statue of the dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows through the streets of the towns . On Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday bells ring to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. In those days the feast of Maria Annunziata is also held, which therefore is comprised in the Easter festivities . During the day of Holy Saturday, the statue is taken from inside the church and carried in a procession with the statue of Christ, a religious procession known as peace. The two portraits are so transported and placed in a square facing one another. Then , while the faithful are reunited , they also exult, and afterwards a ritual that is performed several times during the feast. The festivities reach their climax when the meeting takes place, and two statues are accompanie in the square of the source Diana, by the sound of the bells in celebration, after which they are placed in their respective churches.
A Ispica the procession of Holy Thursday is very impressive, when " Culonna ," Jesus tied to a column between two tormentors , for a whole night runs through the town . It is a chorale festivity that attracts the entire population , tourists and emigrants who return to pay homage " o patri a colonna ." Already in the morning , shots of firecrackers and fireworks herald the beginning of the party. Young people, adults , families are moving into the Quarry, the old residence of the Christ at the Column in a penitential pilgrimage . And it is here that begins the rite of the Via Crucis : the faithful with lighted torches illuminate the winding rocky mountain until you reach the front of the basilica of Santa Maria baroque portico of Sinatra, where the Crucifixion is located. It is already 6.00 o'clock when it starts " a raputa re porti ," that opens the church gate, and the inhabitants of Ispica run to the altar of Christ at the Column. They are veiled and barefoot or bend down on their knees going towards the altar. Then they bring the gifts of wax bought for offering them as a sign to express their gratitude . This parade of the faithful , including the uninterrupted sound of bells, lasts until eleven o'clock , Then the " to scinnuta " starts. The statue of Jesus tied to the column is placed on "fercolo" as the crowd erupts into a cry that is a mixture of joy, sorrow ,faith, and emotion of " Culonna ! " neatly slips off to kiss the relics of the altar, and keeps up to 16 hours of " a sciuta " , when the carriers ' the so-called Cavari, being united in brotherhoods, carry through the streets of the city the statue , while two bands alternate in ' execution of funeral marches . Parade banners of all the parishes of Ispica last , as a sign of honor, the Annunciation , the other most important church in the city that will host the Good Friday procession with the statue of Christ bent under the cross " Cruci " . The moment highlight of the evening is' u ' cuontru, i. e. the meeting of" "with the statue of Culonna. It is bowing three times to kiss the feet of the Son and then people follow him to the back of the front of the church ' Annunziata . Here the statue of Mary is placed in front of Christ. The artistic torchlight is the sign of greeting and farewell from the ailing child . Everything between two wings of the crowd moved and devoted. At 11 pm starts the slow climb from Via XX Settembre, to the basilica of Santa Maria . The route is traveled by carriers doing three steps forward and two steps back. It is a dance that lasts until midnight when they start the " run" ,i. e. the simulacrum is run three times between the aisles before being placed in its niche. This tradition dates back to 1800 as a result of abuse and unrest among the members of the church of St. Mary , " the Cavari " and the faithful of the church of " the nunziatari ". and then, the procession outside " Father's column " was prohibited. They carried out his procession in the basilica .
In Modica , Our Lady " vasa " and blesses . The date of Easter for excellence in the county of Modica, already well-known and celebrated in 1600, is in fact the encounter between the risen Christ and the Virgin Mary , which ends with the kiss of mother to child in Monument Place . From the first morning of the day of Easter, expert hands " Events include " the statue of the Risen Christ in the church of St. Mary, while other members take care of the statue of the Madonna , dressing in mourning over a beautiful blue gown , inside the church of the Carmine. The two statues during the hour before noon, carried on the shoulders by devotees , roam the city : the mother seeks her son after the announcement of his disappearance from the tomb , while the Corso Umberto I is filled with a joyful cheering crowd . at noon "u cuontru ," It is a touching moment and highly suggestive, accompanied by an incessant ringing and the flight of several doves , in whose stunts farmers used to read the omens for the year . At this point, the Madonna , seeing her son , spreads her arms losing the black coat. Then she discovers a blazing blue dress and bends down to kiss the wounds on the side of Christ . Hence the name "Madonna Vasa Vasa " . The representation of Modica assumes a position of great realism , thanks to the maneuvers of an expert operator hidden under the base of the statue , the famous Mimi Sortino. He moves the jointed arms of the statue, even simulating the blessing at the cheering crowd . Cannon fire with blank ammunition, firecrackers fireworks artifice and tears for a ritual that recalls the joy of an encounter beyond the limits of the land and this might be the desire affection which death cannot win.
A Scicli, the celebrations dedicated to ' " Uomo Vivo ," are made up of two processions : the first takes place in the morning, when the Sacred Sacrament is carried through the streets of the city, to the church of S. Maria La Nova , where it is replaced with the statue of the risen Jesus. The protagonist of the second procession to the church of the Carmine , where he remained for some time , waiting for the formal release of the afternoon . In fact, around 5 pm a large group of young men took possession of the wooden statue of the Risen Christ , commonly called " Joy ." Raising vigorously to the maximum height with his arms raised , they continuously shout all together : Joy ! Joy ! Joy ! A sublime ritual, full of vitality and contours almost unreal. For more than an hour inside the church , young people, in short and regular intervals , continue to raise the statue , tipping the scales laterally , forward, backward , always shouting in chorus: Joy ! Joy ! Joy ! It is really impressive what happens. They improvise , they play , they collide , they laugh with intimate and total participation . Then the statue is carried through the streets of Scicli , wrapped in a mountain of flowers. And in the meanwhile, it is pushed up and down , back and forth , and in any direction. The ride through the streets accompanied by marching bands that perform very fast marches ; there are many flowers thrown from the balconies of the houses and into a storm of deafening gunfire coming from the hill of St. Matthew. It ' a Passover rite but also a celebration of primordial strength and joy of life, as in the ancient agricultural rites , whose values ​​, on the feast of Scicli , were inherited and consecrated Christian .
