La Holy Week in Taranto begins on Palm Sunday, after the usual liturgical celebrations. It is on this day that, to remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the two confraternities that animate these rites meet. These are the Confraternity of the Sorrowful Mother and the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. At the center of the main activities are the operations of assigning, to one or the other confraternity, the statues to be carried in procession, for which an auction is held, the proceeds of which are then destined for charity activities during the year. Taranto procession.
Holy Week Procession Taranto
Processione Perdoni Taranto
The official start of the Holy Week in Taranto is marked by the departure of the Perdoni around 3 PM, brotherhood members who, in pairs, visit the main churches of the city to see the so-called sepolcri, barefoot and in traditional attire. Tradition holds that the Perdoni symbolize the figure of the pilgrim journeying towards Rome. Once the Perdoni have completed their route, with slow, heavy, and swaying movements, the population prepares for the procession of the Addolorata.
Sorrowful Procession Taranto
The Sorrowful Procession of Taranto traditionally starts from the Church of San Domenico Maggiore at midnight between Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Leading the flow of people is the statue of the Sorrowful Madonna, accompanied by pairs of posts (the Perdoni), various other traditional figures, and mournful music. The Sorrowful Procession, which evokes the desperate search by the Madonna for her son Jesus, continues until the afternoon of Good Friday when, around 5 pm, everything is ready at the Church of the Carmine for the Procession of the Mysteries.
