The Holy Week in Ragusa's' Province In Sicily (Italy) Is A Good Excuse For An Unforgettable Journey

Online, March 23, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Easter falls after the first full moon in spring, usually on a Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th. It is the most important solemn occasion in the liturgical year, and it's the opportunity to celebrate a number of popular feasts commemorating the Mysteries of Jesus' Passion, Death and Resurrection. Several of those ceremonies link Christian religious devotion to ancient rituals and pagan symbols. The most striking expressions of popular devotion are processions and pilgrimages mixing devotees' mourning for Dead Christ and rejoicing for His Resurrection. A large number of moving and colourful ceremonies take place in the Holy Week, before Easter Sunday. The Easter Week in Italy but especially in the Sicilian Ragusa's province is a period richest in events and festivities. The Holy Week starts with the commemoration of the Christ's Passion and culminates in the Resurrection, when joy and happiness spread amongst the faithful of each village and town. Religious re-enactments and other forms of drama representation are set up in most of Italian towns to commemorate the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and to celebrate the advent of Spring. The presence of pre-Christian symbolism is typical of these celebrations. in fact, Easter marks the passage from the death of Nature (the winter) to a phase of life and re-awakening (the spring).The distinction between the Holy Temple and the Profane Temple is fundamental to fully understand the anthropologic and religious values of the Easter rites and their main themes. Rites and events of the Easter are rooted in the tradition of Italian people. Thousands of events are taking place in all cities like Ragusa IBLA, Comiso, Ispica, Scicli, Modica, Vittoria, etc... Good triumphing over Evil, the Angel defeating the Devil, and Life defeating Death are often enacted during religious street processions and mainly take place on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Events from the Old and the New Testament are also very popular: the Last Supper, the Foot Washing, the Getsemani, Judas' Betrayal, the Agony and Death of Jesus, the Deposition and the Resurrection are re-enacted in many towns of the Country, in which the main squares and streets are transformed in a big stage. The religious tradition is particularly strong here in Sicily. In nearly each village and town of the major Island, the commemoration of the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ manages to create a special atmosphere and to involve entire communities.