Easter in Burgio
Holy Week
A rich program of religious events is organized in Burgio for Easter.
The Friday before Palm Sunday takes place the procession of the simulacrum of Maria SS. Sorrows. The procession starts from the church of San Giuseppe and ends in the Mother Church, where the simulacrum will remain until the following day.
On Palm Sunday the blessing of the olive and palm branches takes place , which after the reading of an evangelical passage, are distributed to the faithful.
During Good Friday, singular traditional popular demonstrations take place which recall the crucifixion and death of Jesus. They take place well four processions marked by a precise chronometric succession. The day opens with a meditation on the Seven Words spoken by Jesus on the cross before he died. This is followed by the processions of the Littichedda, that is, of the small urn in which the Dead Christ is placed. A first procession, the Littichedda dei Fratelli sees the members of the confraternities carry the simulacrum of the Dead Christ on their shoulders. The second procession is the Littichedda dei Parrini, where the fercolo of the dead Christ is carried on the shoulders of local priests. To close the morning is a third procession with the main fercolo of the dead Christ which is carried on the shoulders of the faithful towards the Calvary which stands at the foot of the Saracen castle, where the Crucifixion will take place. A peculiarity of this procession is the annacata, that is, an undulatory movement that is given to the fercolo that wants to symbolize the human pain of the crucified Christ. In the evening the deposition of Christ takes place accompanied by the singing of Occhi mirate and Lu magnum by the biblical characters Joseph and Nicodemus, with the choral participation of the faithful. Finally, the evening procession takes place with the urn of the dead Christ followed by Our Lady of Sorrows and preceded by the faithful carrying the paramiti, i.e. the paramenti, wooden candles and colored tissue paper reproducing stars and crosses.
At the end of the ceremonies of Good Friday in Burgio there is the carcucciuliata, a large table set up in the town square where you can taste artichokes, boiled potatoes, fried sardines , cod, hard-boiled eggs and other specialties of the local tradition. This tradition is probably related to the banquets that were once held in Sicily after a funeral ceremony.
On the morning of Easter Sunday the traditional Ncontru takes place, encounter, between the Risen Christ and the Virgin Mary. In the afternoon, another ancient popular tradition takes place: the statues of San Vito and San Luca are made to dance around the town.
Dates and Scheduling
15 Apr 2025
09:30 - 12:30 Confessions.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
17:00 - 18:30 Confessions.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
19:00 Holy Mass.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
20:00 “VIA CRUCIS” citizen towards Calvary animated by the children of the Comprehensive Institute "A.G. Roncalli" of Burgio.
Piazza Carmine
16 Apr 2025
10:00 Holy Mass.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
10:30 - 12:30 Confessions.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
17 Apr 2025
09:30 - 12:30 Confessions.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
17:00 - 18:30 Confessions.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
19:00 Holy Mass and “Washing of the feet”.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
20:00 - 23:30 Community Eucharistic Adoration.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
18 Apr 2025
07:00 Meditation proposed by the Vicar General Don Giuseppe Cumbo on the “Seven Words” spoken by Jesus from the Cross.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
08:00 Procession of the “Littichedda dei Fratelli” to the Church of Carmine.
10:00 Procession of the “Littichedda dei Parrini”.
Ex Chiesa di San Nicola (Via Vittorio Emanuele)
12:00 Procession of the Urn with Christ towards Calvary accompanied by Our Lady of Sorrows.
Chiesa del Carmine
13:00 Calvary: Crucifixion.
Calvario di Burgio
16:00 Liturgy of the “Passion and Adoration of the Cross”.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
19:00 Procession of “Paramiti” from the Governor's residence towards Calvary.
20:00 Deposition of Jesus from the Cross with traditional chant “Occhi Mirate” sung by Joseph and Nicodemus.
Calvario di Burgio
21:00 Procession through the streets of the town with the Urn of Christ Deposed from the Cross and Maria SS. Addolorata, preceded by the “Fratelli” with the traditional “Paramiti”.
24:00 Traditional “Carcucciuliata”
Via Vittorio Emanuele
19 Apr 2025
10:00 Liturgy of the Hours and Confessions.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
23:15 Easter Vigil, Holy Mass and traditional palm race, Immaculate Church (Motta).
Chiesa dell'Immacolata (Motta)
20 Apr 2025
Easter Sunday
07:00 Exit of the statue of San Michele Arcangelo and tour through the streets of the town.
Chiesa dell'Immacolata (Motta)
09:00 Holy Mass.
Chiesa di San Luca
11:00 Holy Mass.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
12:00 Traditional “'Ncontru” of the Risen Christ and the Virgin Mary.
Piazza Umberto I
16:00 Exit of the simulacrum of San Vito Martire and tour of the streets of the town.
Chiesa di San Vito
19:00 Holy Mass.
Chiesa Madre S. Antonio Abate
20:00 Exit of the simulacrum of San Luca Evangelista and tour through the streets of the town.
Chiesa di San Luca
24:00 Fireworks in honor of the Risen Christ, San Vito e San Luca.
You could be also interested in:
References
enjoysicilia.it is in no way responsible for any errors, omissions or changes due to unpredictable factors. We strongly invite you to check for any last-minute changes by visiting the website and social media of the event organizer whose links are indicated in the references field.
