| festival on the island of Lipari |
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Easter week The events which occur in the Eolie, and in particular on Lipari, during easter week (such as the easter friday mysteries procession or the easter sunday resurrection) maintain intact over time in the islander’s soul a relationship of intense religiousness and participation. The cycle opens on palm sunday with the right of benediction given by the bishop and with the successive procession which from the centre of the town leads up to reach the majestic cathedral, closed inside the powerful spanish fortress which overlooks the city. The same sunday afternoon the “Cantori popolari delle isole Eolie” brings to life with a large number of figures, a suggestive and moving via Crucis procession which leaving from Piazza Mazzini (where Sinedrio is decorated), it moves scene by scene to the castle culminating with christ’s crucifixion). Easter friday As evening falls a long and spectacular cortege, lit up by numerous small flames, winds along the main town’s streets (leaving from the castle’s churches). In absolute silence, interrupted only by the solemn notes of the musical band, the decorated statues representing the passion and the death of christ slowly moved one after the other; accompanied by the various confraternities, each one with its symbol dressed in mourning, participating together with the crowd to humanity’s great mystery which is represented in that moment. Easter sunday Lipari covers itself in splendid colours, blue sky merges with the sea forming a great scene for the meeting of christ resurrected and his mother. At midday the two processions, made up of the different confraternities, after moving separately wound through the town’s streets which meet up at Marina Corta: here after having acknowledged each other three times, they divide until the sacred image of christ resurrected and our lady of sorrows can do the same. At the third bow, by when the statues are very close to the virgin mary, the black cloak which covers it is removed so that numerous white doves fly away; which with the sound of the bells, the band’s triumphant hymns, the boat’s sirens in the background and the crowd’s applause rises up underlining the joy of the coming together. |
