Easter and Easter Monday, traditions light up Abruzzo for the entire Holy Week

Will it rain or not rain? This is the problem… the Shakespearean quote seems, every year, the right one for those who are deciding how to organize their Easter Monday. For those who stay in Abruzzo there are many traditions and places just waiting to be discovered and many historical events that take place during the days of Holy Week.

ABRUZZO – Easter Monday 2024, the countdown has officially begun. Waiting to know what the weather will be next April 1st – when will the Easter Monday – the people of Abruzzo begin to organize themselves for the holidays. According to forecasts we will have aItaly split in two: to the North there will be heavy rain, while al South the sun will shine, with temperatures that could even reach 28 degrees in Sicily. There Easter day it should be the hottest, with even peaks of 30° in the southernmost areas. Parallel to the North, the day should start clear in the morning, and then worsen during the evening with the arrival of an Atlantic cyclone which Easter Monday it should cover the Centre-North. Thunderstorms would therefore be expected in the North and Tuscany, with the possibility of sporadic hailstorms: short-lived, but of strong intensity. Italy, therefore, could be divided in two, with sudden downpours ready to “ruin” the holidays. Yet, beyond the weather, Abruzzo is ready to relive its Easter customs: moments of sharing, family, reflection and history that light up villages and cities every year.

Easter and Easter Monday in Abruzzo are a perfect mix of traditions, nature, villages, but also the opportunity to experience medieval festivals, falconry shows and revisitations. And how can we not mention the kebabs? Those – regardless of the destination and the event – absolutely cannot be missed.

Among the most visited destinations in Abruzzo, the Roccascalegna Castle hosts every year, a Easter Monday, falconry shows and scenes reproducing medieval fights with men-at-arms and crossbowmen, as well as various theatrical performances. Naturally, many choose visits to the most beautiful villages, the farmhouses, the fish lunches on the coast and… the picnics, which never go out of fashion! Weather permitting, in fact.
If they will be around 10 million Italians will travel – of which 92% in Italy – those who stay or arrive in Abruzzo will also be able to choose to visit some of the most characteristic natural places in the region, starting with the Stiffe Caves, small naturalistic oasis in the heart of the Sirente Velino Park. There are those who will opt for a walk along the Trabocchi Coastwho will choose to visit one of the most beautiful villages in Italy among those included in the regional territory: from Campli in Castel del Monte, from Civitella del Tronto to Pacentro, from Pescocostanzo to Scanno, frame of the famous heart-shaped lake. And then there are the Parks – national and regional – i Castlesamong the most popular destinations the unmissable Rocca Calascioi Museums and one of the most awaited initiatives by kebab lovers: the event Rostilandwhich is sold out every year Tollo.

Some of the most famous rites of Holy Week

The religious rites of Easter accompany the entire Holy Week in various places in Abruzzo.
We start from L’Aquila, where the historic Good Friday procession takes place.
The famous simulacra of the Good Friday Processioncreated by the artist Remo Brindisi and owned by the friars of San Bernardino, are displayed in the basilica. On Monday they left, for the last time, the warehouse that had housed them since the earthquake, located in the premises of the former military district, adjacent to the church. A property, once part of the large monastic complex, and now the subject of restoration to repair earthquake damage. Once the procession of the dead Christ ended, in fact, the works will no longer return to the place where they have been kept in recent years, but will be transported to a peripheral structure, rented by the Knights of Good Friday, the lay association that has been collaborating with the friars since 2000 for the organization of the Procession. This year, for the first time, the Penitentiary Police Corps will escort the simulacrum of the dead Christ through the streets of the city center, a rite that has been renewed since 1954, when the aspiring friar Nicola Roccioletti revived the ancient cult which had been dormant for reasons of public order for almost two centuries.

The passage in front of the Municipality headquarters in Palazzo Margherita has been restored, but the one in Piazza Duomo is extremely small. Basilica of San Bernardino, via San Bernardino, Corso Principe Umberto, Via Marrelli, Piazza Duomo uphill to Corso Vittorio Emanuele and return to the basilica via Via San Bernardino: this, in detail, is the itinerary that the procession will follow on Friday.
Among the simulacra of Remo Brindisi the Grand Cross will be missing, the first ever to have been created, as it is currently the subject of
conservative restoration. Here all the information

Staying on the topic of Good Friday processions, it is impossible not to mention that of Chieti, considered among the oldest in Italy.
Its origin, in fact, dates back to‘842 AD, year in which the reconstruction of the first cathedral was officially concluded (currently the old cathedral constitutes the crypt of the new one), destroyed in 801 by King Pepin. Its current shape, however, dates back to the 16th century: when it was born the Archconfraternity of the Sacred Mount of the Dead who, still today, takes care of its set-up and preparation. It is tradition of the Chieti procession that this must always and in any case take place. In fact, it also took place during the second World War. The procession begins at dusk on Good Friday, moving from cathedral of San Giustino and winding along Corso Marrucino and the other streets of the historic center. The path is illuminated by tripods lit with wax fire, once necessary for light and to burn incense and aromas. Meanwhile, in the cathedral, at the end of the sacred function, he performs on the steps of the presbytery the choir for first tenors, second tenors and low tenors and composed of over 160 elements that sings the Miserere composed around 1740 by Saverio Selecchy (Chieti, 1708- 1788), maestro di cappella of the cathedral. The procession is opened by the mourning banner of the Archconfraternity of the Sacred Mount of the Dead. Followed by the other city brotherhoods, the religious who wanted to participate, then the metropolitan chapter and the members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, together with the archbishop of Chieti-Vasto. Then the actual members of the Archconfraternity of the Sacred Mount of the Dead, dressed in a black tunic, yellow mozzetta and black hood, finally the Musicians and Singers.

It is impossible, then, not to mention the Madonna Who Runs Away, historic religious tradition that is renewed annually a Sulmonaon Easter Sunday. This is the characteristic re-enactment of the meeting between the Madonna and the risen Christ. The event, which takes place in Piazza Garibaldi.
After the mass on Easter Sunday, therefore, the procession starts from the church of Santa Maria della Tomba Confraternity of the Madonna of Loretocharacterized by the typical green colors worn by the brothers who carry the typical lights and the statues of saints John, Peter and the Risen Christ. The “departure” of the statue is in Piazza Garibaldi: figuratively, the statue of San Giovanni reaches the door of the Church of San Filippo, announcing to the Madonna the resurrection of her Son, which Mary, according to legend, does not believe. So the Madonna goes out to see if it is true that her son has risen, carried with the step of “struscio” by the members of the brotherhood. This is absolutely one of the most exciting moments of the Sulmona Easter rite. Everyone is waiting, until, at 12.00, the Madonna begins her run towards Jesus and as she runs her black cloak falls, symbol of mourning, replaced by an elegant green and golden dress. Meanwhile the doves take flight. Arriving before Christ, the brothers embrace each other with emotion. If everything goes well they say that the year will be propitious, on the contrary if something goes wrong, it could be a negative omen.

Among the oldest processions of Holy Week there is also that of the Dead Christ which takes place on Good Friday in Quills. It’s about the oldest Good Friday procession in Abruzzo and takes place among the most evocative streets of the town. Among its particularities: Funeral blanket on which the Dead Christ is placed: a tire rich in precious embroidery, in gold, silver and silk. A unique piece in the world.
Among the events to mention also the Living Passion of Barrea, in the heart of the Abruzzo National Park, with the setting up of various stages in which the paintings of the last moments of Jesus’ life are reproduced. An event that always attracts numerous visitors. Appointment Saturday 30 March from 5pm. There will be 150 participants involved in the historic initiative.