Setmana Santa a l'Alguer by DamaInNero

La Setmana Santa (the Holy Week) is an ancient and important tradition in Alghero, Italy. The street lamps are covered in red cloths to provide atmosphere, and during the week preceding Easter several rituals take place, such as the procession of the Mysteries, the Last Supper, the Virgin Mary wandering through seven churches in search for her son, and finally, on Good Friday, the Elevation of the Cross in the morning and the Descent from the Cross in the evening. The latter is particularly impressive because people dress up as Gospel characters such as Pontius Pilate, Joseph of Arimathea, centurions and so on, and play the scene with statue of Jesus Christ, the Cross, the nails and a ladder. Then, a procession starts with the body of Christ laid in “lo bressol” (the cradle) and women dressed in black with candles covered in red cloth follow through the red-lit streets of the old town praying. Many monastic orders are present, including an ancient Catalan brotherhood with pointed hoods. Like all Catholic Easter rituals, the whole thing is macabre as it can be, but very evocative nonetheless: the whole populace of Alghero and many tourists from surrounding towns and even abroad gather to see it. By every church and at crossings there are several choirs singing religious hymns and songs in Sardinian and Alguerese Catalan, one of which is the very touching Passa Jesucrist.
On Easter morning there is the final ceremony, during which the statue of Christ Resurrected and his Mother meet at last in one of the squares and bow to each other while doves fly all around. At last, it's chocolate time!

Photo: Me