Easter in Sicily: 3 traditional…and very special events

Easter 2018 in Sicily is a moment of the year filled with great religious fervor. A religious fervor that is incarnated in traditional events and, at the same time, very particular. Like these three.

The Feast of the Jews (San Fratello, from 28 to 30 March)

San Fratello is a picturesque town located in the province of Messina. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Good Fridays, there is a festival that unites the sacred and the profane. These days, the Jews (tunic and red trousers, the head covered by a hood, mask with long mouth and eyebrows that give a monstrous and grotesque appearance), literally run, on climbing on balconies, jump, sound. They make an authentic pandemonium and sometimes they frighten people.

U Ballu di diavuli (Prizzi, 1st April)

We move to the province of Palermo. U Ballu di diavuli has medieval origins, linked to the rite of the rebirth of life in spring after the rigors of winter. On Easter Sunday, the masked devils and death wander the streets of the city, making jokes to passersby and leaving them alone in exchange for an “obolo”. The climax is in the afternoon when the devils, opposed by the angels, try to prevent the encounter between the statue of the Madonna and the statue of Christ.

The Uomu Vivu (Scicli, 1 April)

U Gioia (another name with which it’s known) is a traditional festival held in Scicli, in the free municipal consortium of Ragusa. On Easter Sunday, the entire population of Scicli brings the statue of the Risen Christ (called the Uomu Vivu) through the streets of the village. An event so characteristic to charm painters, photographers, journalists and musicians.

If these three traditional and special events have awakened in you the desire to travel during Easter 2018, there is only one thing left to do: book in advance the ferry trip to Sicily.

Image source: Flickr.com/photos/michiluzzu