Holy Week and Easter in Sicily: the Processions and Rites to Experience

In Sicily Holy Week is not a show: it is the faith of a people who for centuries have accompanied Christ to the cross and the resurrection. Confraternities, ancient statues, funeral marches, meetings between the Risen Christ and his Mother: every town has its rites. Here are the best known, for anyone who wishes to experience Easter in Sicily as a pilgrim.

The dates

Easter changes date every year. In 2027 Catholic Easter falls on 28 March and Orthodox Easter on 2 May (as of October 2026). The main rites are concentrated between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.

Trapani: the Procession of the Mysteries

It is one of the longest processions in Italy. It begins on the afternoon of Good Friday and lasts about twenty hours, through the night, until Saturday morning. Eighteen sculptural groups and two statues pass by, made in the 17th and 18th centuries from wood, canvas and glue, depicting moments of the Passion. Each group is carried on the shoulders of a ceto, an ancient trade guild, to the slow rhythm of the bands.

Enna: the procession of the hooded brothers

In Enna, birthplace of Saint Elias the Younger, Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday with the parade of confraternities in costumes of Spanish tradition. On Good Friday more than two thousand brothers in tunics and hoods silently accompany the statues of the dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows.

Caltanissetta: the Vare of Holy Thursday

In Caltanissetta on Holy Thursday sixteen groups of statues, the Vare, representing the Stations of the Cross, are carried through the streets.

Byzantine Easter in Piana degli Albanesi

Near Palermo, Piana degli Albanesi has preserved since the 15th century the tradition of the Byzantine-rite Arbëreshë communities, now united in the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi of the Catholic Church. Easter is celebrated in the Eastern rite, with chants in Greek and Albanian, traditional costumes and red eggs, a sign of the resurrection. It is a precious experience for lovers of the Eastern liturgy, Catholic or Orthodox.

Easter Sunday: the meeting

In many Sicilian towns on Easter morning the meeting between the Risen Christ and Our Lady is celebrated: the two statues set off from different points and run towards each other in the square, amid the joy of the crowd. In some places the rite has its own name, such as U Scontru or, in Modica, the Madonna Vasa Vasa, where the Mother "kisses" her Son.

How to live Holy Week as a pilgrim

• Take part in the liturgies, not only the processions: the Mass of the Lord's Supper, the celebration of the Passion, the Easter Vigil.
• Respect the silence during the Good Friday processions.
• Arrive early and check the times, which may change every year.
• Book accommodation early: at Easter the most famous towns are in high demand.

A spiritual day in the Easter season

During Lent and Easter the spiritual days near Taormina can be a simple way to prepare or to prolong the feast: prayer, walking in nature in bloom, a shared meal. For the other feasts of the year there is the calendar of religious festivals in Sicily.

Opening hours and access to places of worship and parks may change: it is best to check the official websites before going. Enter churches in silence and suitably dressed, without disturbing services.

How to take part

The days take place near Taormina, in Sicily. The places to visit are agreed together each time. There is no overnight stay: we share one day, and in the evening everyone returns to their own home. Hospitality has no price and does not depend on any offering: whoever comes is welcomed for who they are. Everyone contributes as they can: anyone who cannot leave anything is welcomed like everyone else, and takes part by giving a little of their time.

The days are reserved for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, because they are lived in shared prayer. To ask for a date, simply write to me on WhatsApp. The spirit of the days is told in the manifesto of hospitality.

If you would like to know what makes this mission possible, read The circle of love.

Explore the other pages

The days: Christian spiritual days in Sicily · The Philoxenia of Abraham · Spiritual search and finding yourself · Day retreat, silent retreat and pilgrimage: the international names

Spiritual travel in Sicily: Spiritual tourism in Sicily: the guide · Pilgrimage walking routes in Sicily · Religious festivals in Sicily: the calendar · Orthodox pilgrimage in Sicily · Spiritual Nordic walking and ski walking in Sicily

Nature and places: Spiritual Taormina · Spiritual walks in nature · Christian meditation in nature in Sicily · Places to meditate near Taormina and Messina · Places to meditate in Sicily

Prayer: Christian asceticism: the spiritual struggle · The prayer of the heart or Jesus Prayer · Hesychasm: the prayer of stillness · The Philokalia: the Neptic Fathers

The saints of Sicily: Byzantine Sicily and the Italo-Greek saints · Saint Hilarion the Great in Sicily · Saint Methodios of Syracuse · Saint Joseph the Hymnographer · Saint Elias the Younger of Enna · Saint Agatha of Catania · Saint Lucy of Syracuse · Saint Pancras of Taormina

Sources

• VisitItaly – The Procession of the Mysteries in Trapani (Italian)
• La Sicilia – Holy Week in Sicily: rites and traditions (Italian)
• Wikipedia – Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi