The Procession of the Mysteries of Trapani is unmatched in Italy: not only does it have one of the oldest histories in our country, but it is also the longest Easter rite.
The Procession of the Mysteries of Trapani began four centuries ago and, year after year, it repeats with renewed devotion and with a strong sense of participation from the citizens of Trapani and the surrounding areas.
The main feature of this ancient Sicilian Easter rite is its duration: the procession takes place over a full 24 hours, starting at 2:00 PM on Good Friday and continuing until 2:00 PM on Holy Saturday.
Everything begins and ends in the same sacred place: the Church of the Holy Souls of Purgatory; from here the Sacred groups of the Mysteries – led by 20 artistic representations of the Passion and Death of Christ – travel a long route through the city streets, accompanied by music, sacred songs, and devotional light displays.
Each “Mystery” is carried on the shoulders of at least 10 people – the “Massari” – who move to music, “swaying” in a way that gives the procession a special rhythm, in this kind of dance defined in dialect as “annacata”.
Here is the list of the 20 sacred groups and their respective guilds:
- The Separation (‘A Spartenza) by the Goldsmiths guild
- The Washing of the Feet by the Fishermen guild
- Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane by the Greengrocers guild
- The Arrest by the Metallurgists guild
- Fall at the Cedron by the Mariners guild
- Jesus before Hanna by the Fruit Sellers guild
- The Denial by the Barbers and Hairdressers guild
- Jesus before Herod by the Fishmongers guild
- The Flagellation by the Bricklayers and Stonemasons guild
- The Crowning with Thorns by the Bakers guild
- Ecce Homo! by the Shoemakers guild
- The Sentence by the Butchers guild
- The Ascension to Calvary by the People guild
- The Stripping by the Textile and Clothing guild
- The Raising of the Cross by the Carpenters guild
- The Wound in the Side by the Painters and Decorators guild
- The Deposition by the Tailors and Upholsterers guild
- The Transport to the Tomb by the Salt Workers guild
- The Tomb by the Pasta Makers guild
- The Sorrowful Mother by the Waiters, Cooks, Coachmen, Drivers, Bartenders, Pastry Chefs, Hoteliers, Restaurateurs and Related guild.
Thousands of people flood the streets of Trapani to witness the Procession of the Mysteries, from the early hours of the afternoon, through the night, and until the following day when the return to the Church of the Holy Souls of Purgatory takes place.
This is basically the route followed by the Procession of the Mysteries (taken from the official event website unionemaestranzetrapani.com):
Church of the Holy Souls of Purgatory – Piazza Purgatorio – Via Generale Domenico Giglio – Corso Vittorio Emanuele – Via Torrearsa – Via delle Arti – Via Barone Sieri Pepoli – Piazza Cuba – Via Cuba – Piazza Notai – Via Argentieri – Piazza Sant’Agostino – Corso Italia – Via XXX Gennaio – Via Osorio – Via Spalti – Piazza Vittorio Emanuele – Via Giovan Battista Fardella south side up to the intersection with Via Marsala – Via Giovan Battista Fardella north side – STOP – Via Giovan Battista Fardella north side – Piazza Vittorio Emanuele – Viale Regina Margherita – Piazza Vittorio Veneto – Via Garibaldi – Via Libertà – Corso Vittorio Emanuele – Via Serisso – Via Nunzio Nasi – Via Giacomo Tartaglia – Viale Duca d’Aosta – Via Cristoforo Colombo – Via Giovanni da Procida – Via Silva – Piazza Scalo d’Alaggio – Via dei Piloti – Largo delle Ninfe – Via Carolina – Piazza Generale Scio – Corso Vittorio Emanuele – Via Torrearsa – Piazza Generale Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa – Piazza Lucatelli – Via Turretta – Via San Francesco d’Assisi – Piazza Purgatorio – Church of the Holy Souls of Purgatory.
A fascinating, almost hypnotic rite that still retains traces of its Andalusian origins.
