The Holy Week in Caltanissetta is a traditional event held in the comune of Caltanissetta in Sicily, Italy, during the week leading up to Easter. It comprises a series of interconnected religious manifestations that unfold from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. In 2006, it was inscribed in the Sicilian Intangible Heritage Register.. The rituals of the Scinnenza and the Real Maestranza are part of the international Europassion circuit.Europassion official website..
Origins of Easter traditions Around the 17th century, numerous congregations emerged within the Church of Sant'Agata al Collegio: Saint Ignatius, Purification of the Most Holy Mary, Saint Louis, and that of the Holy Virgin Child. These groups performed adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which took place in the mother church from the evening of Holy Monday until noon on Holy Wednesday. At that point, they gave way to the Maestranza, which greeted the exposition of the Sacrament, followed by the pious visit to the Sepulchres, the adorned altars in the churches of the old city, between the afternoon of Holy Thursday and the morning of Good Friday.. Throughout Lent and Holy Week, the various confraternities and congregations contemplated the Mysteries of the Passion of Jesus, giving rise to sacred reenactments and small processions, such as that of the Mysteries organized by the Congregation of Saint Philip Neri, held at vespers on Holy Thursday, which eventually evolved into the current Vare procession.
According to historian Michele Alesso, the procession routes were illuminated by pyramids of light supporting hundreds of candles.
Palm Sunday Procession of Jesus the Nazarene
Tradition holds that this procession was initiated by the peasants of Caltanissetta who, excluded from other Holy Week processions, sought to take a leading role at least on Palm Sunday. Before the end of the 19th century, the Congregation of the Holy Virgin Child carried in procession a flower-covered simulacrum of the lifeless body of Jesus, symbolizing peasant culture, from the Church of Sant'Agata al Collegio to the Cathedral, where adoration of Jesus Christ took place. In 1869, when Baron Vincenzo di Figlia di Granara pointed out the incongruity of this simulacrum with the festive atmosphere of Palm Sunday, a statue of the blessing Christ on a flower-decorated throne was introduced instead, gradually evolving into the celebration seen today.
The procession of Jesus the Nazarene allegorically reenacts the Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The statue of the blessing Christ is placed on a distinctive boat-shaped structure adorned with numerous wildflowers. Over the years, the shape of this structure has varied, having been cubic or "mountain-like" in the past. Several hypotheses explain why a boat shape was eventually chosen: it could symbolize the "fisher of souls," as Jesus is described in the Gospels, or it might stem from a linguistic corruption of abbarcu, one of the wildflowers used to decorate the structure.. Even today, the structure is called abbarcu, though in Sicilian, "boat" is varca. Wildflowers, once gathered in the week before the procession, are now largely replaced by florists' flowers for aesthetic and time-saving reasons; however, to preserve tradition, devotees still adorn the upper edge and lower base with flowers they collect from the fields the day before, on Sunday morning.
Before departing from the courtyard of the former Jesuit College in the afternoon, the statue of the blessing Jesus the Nazarene, dressed in a fabric robe, is placed on the boat, surrounded by numerous ex voto. Passing through the library gate as if it were the gate of Jerusalem, the procession begins, winding through the main streets of the historic center.
Throughout the route, the procession is accompanied by numerous children carrying olive branches and woven palms, two musical bands, and members of the organizing confraternity, who proceed in two rows, dressed in distinctive attire and carrying bilannuna, large candles encased in cardboard holders bearing the simulacrum’s image.
In the evening, at the procession’s conclusion, the abbarcu is hoisted onto shoulders up the steps in front of the Church of Sant'Agata al Collegio and, before entering, is greeted with an impressive display of fireworks, known as u castiddu.
Holy Monday and Tuesday A Scinnenza The term Scinnenza refers to a sacred representation of the Passion of Jesus, unfolding across three days: Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and Easter Sunday. In Sicilian, Scinnenza denotes the Deposition of Jesus from the cross (from the verb scìnniri, "to descend"), evoking the most dramatic moment of the entire reenactment.
The first act, performed on Holy Monday, opens the week with a depiction of the entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, including the washing of the feet and the institution of the Eucharist, and Jesus’ arrest.
The second act of the Scinnenza takes place on the evening of Holy Tuesday. A cortege of costumed participants, accompanied by a band playing the live soundtrack, moves through the historic center, staging the trial of Jesus in the praetorium by Pontius Pilate and the flagellation. This is followed by the Via Crucis, the stripping, the crucifixion and death of Christ, and the climactic moment of the entire sacred representation: the deposition of Jesus (scinnenza). The performance concludes with the repentance and suicide of Judas.
As early as 1780, representations were held in Caltanissetta on the four Fridays of March preceding Holy Week. The first true multi-actor performance occurred in 1840, but the following year, due to severe disturbances caused by the large crowd, it was discontinued. Successfully revived in 1957, it was staged again in 1961 by the Salesians and then consistently from 1972 to the present. Today, the Scinnenza is an established tradition recognized within the international Europassion circuit.
Holy Wednesday The Real Maestranza The origins of the Real Maestranza date back to 1551, when it was formed as a citizen militia to defend Caltanissetta against potential invasions by the Turks. It consisted of artisans, known as mastri, organized into various categories based on their trades, and led by a captain of arms, typically a nobleman. The current historical procession originated from the practice on the morning of Holy Wednesday, when, after the forty hours of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the mother church for the faithful’s adoration, the Maestranza saluted the display of the Venerable, shown by the priest in an ostensory from the church’s forecourt. At that moment, the Maestranza fired blank shots with arquebuses to honor the Blessed Sacrament..
The title "Royal" was bestowed in 1806 by Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, who, during a visit to Caltanissetta, was impressed by the grand parade of the Maestranza. In 1848, the militia lost its military character due to fears it might support anti-Bourbon uprisings. The weapons were replaced with candles, which are still carried in the procession today, though the group continues to participate in the city’s major religious events, such as the procession of the "Black Christ" on Good Friday and the procession of Saint Michael on May 8.
The focal point of the procession, and indeed all Holy Week events, is the Captain, an artisan chosen annually from a different category, who enjoys certain privileges throughout the week: he holds the keys to the city, carries a sword as a symbol of command, wears the tricolor sash as a sign of loyalty to state authority, and is appointed a Knight of the Republic.. From the same category as the Captain, the captaincy roles are selected: the Squire, who carries the shield and lance; the Historical Standard-Bearer, who bears the ancient multicolored banner of the Real Maestranza; and the Chief Ensign.
During the historical procession, the Captain is preceded by the Squire. Ahead of the Squire is the Historical Standard-Bearer, who is in turn preceded by the Chief Ensign, opening the procession with the standard depicting all the patron saints of the categories. For each category, a Standard-Bearer is appointed to carry the banner with the effigy of the category’s patron saint, along with an Halberdier.
In addition to these roles, primarily tied to the procession and renewed annually, there are others with longer terms: the Grand Ceremonial Master, typically the oldest artisan, the Master of Ceremonies, the Ecclesiastical Ceremonial Master, the Procession Coordinator, the General Consul, the Board Members, and the Category Consuls. Finally, all other artisans are the Milizioti, a term recalling the ancient militia origins of the Real Maestranza..
Preparations for the ceremony begin early on Holy Wednesday morning, adhering to strict tradition. The Master of Ceremonies visits the Captain’s home to commence the dressing ritual, donning a typical 18th-century outfit, under the watchful eyes of previous Captains, the General Consul, and the Ceremonial Masters. During this phase, the Captain wears black stockings, like the other milizioti, along with black gloves and a bow tie. Meanwhile, artisans from the various categories pick up their respective halberdiers and standard-bearers from their homes. The category chosen by the Captain will form a procession to collect the Standard Bearer, the Historical Flag Bearer, and the Squire from their respective houses. Subsequently, all categories gather in Piazza Garibaldi and proceed together with the band to pay homage to the Captain at his home. After a brief greeting from the balcony, the Captain descends to the street, announced by three trumpet blasts and welcomed with enthusiastic applause..
There, he is greeted by the President of the Real Maestranza Association, who invites him to review the assembled militia with the words: “Captain, the militia is ready. Honor them by reviewing them.” During this phase, the Captain uses a military salute, a vestige of the Maestranza’s militia origins..
After the review, the cortege, typically comprising about four hundred artisans, proceeds to the Town Hall with banners unfurled, bearing both white and black ribbons, where the Mayor hands the Captain the keys to the city, symbolically entrusting him with the city’s responsibility until Easter Sunday.
From there, the entire cortege moves to the courtyard of the former Jesuit College, home to the Scarabelli Library, where candles are lit, banners are lowered, halberds are draped in mourning, the gonfalon is raised, and once the Captain receives the black-veiled Crucifix, the penitential procession begins toward the Cathedral. Accompanied by the imperial drums of the band playing funeral marches, the entire Maestranza wears black gloves and bow ties as a sign of mourning. Inside the Cathedral, the Captain receives forgiveness for taking on the sins of all, and together with the Maestranza, replaces the black stockings, tie, and gloves with white ones, symbolizing joy. At noon, the Real Maestranza exits the Cathedral, escorting the Venerable carried by the Bishop in a golden ostensory, while the band plays festive tunes, and the Captain carries a candle instead of the black-veiled Crucifix.
After the intense morning, the Captain returns home, where he receives the artisan categories, civil and ecclesiastical authorities, and finally friends and relatives throughout the afternoon and much of the evening.
The current ten categories participating in the Real Maestranza are: Bakers, Plumbers and Tinsmiths, Barbers, Decorative Painters, Masons, Marble Workers, Carpenters and Cabinetmakers, Iron Workers, Shoemakers, Leatherworkers and Upholsterers, and Blacksmiths.
Procession of the Varicedde