I Misteri 2016

A Sicilian Easter. The annual 'Procession of the Mysteries' in Trapani, Sicily, is a 400-year-old ritual brought to Sicily by its Spanish colonizers of the 15th century. The procession begins at 3:00 pm on Good Friday and continues for 24 hours. In the procession, townsmen carry one-ton statues depicting the Stations of the Cross. The last statue is that of the Madonna, who 'searches' for her lost son, Christ, until she 'returns' to the town church on Holy Saturday. One of the most interesting characteristic of this procession is the "annacata": statue holders walks making the statues moving left-to-right, following the, slow, funeral, rhythm played by the accompanying band, making the atmosphere almost surreal.

This is the third collection of photographs that I dedicate to this incredible procession. The first photographs, ten years ago, a second time in 2008. The first two collections are in Black and White, this time in colours.

Funny enough I was able to recognise some of the subject of the first photographs this year: it was great to find them in great shape, especially the not anymore younger ones.