The Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Peninsula are undoubtedly summer tourist destinations. Yet, spring is also a good time to visit these regions. In particular, Easter is a great moment to admire the beauty of the villages and also discover some local traditions.
Here are the main Easter traditions of the Amalfi coast and Sorrento.
EASTER IN SORRENTO AND AMALFI.
The Easter traditions of the Amalfi coast and Sorrento are linked to the religious celebrations. Each town has its own calendar. Regardless of the town, most of the events take place during the Holy Week.
POSITANO
In Positano takes place the ‘Schiodazione del Cristo’, the Deposition of the Christ.
During this celebration, people of Positano carry a statue of Christ in procession through the streets of the town. They also carry torches which light enhances the solemnity of the event.
MINORI
The ‘Battenti di Minori’ is a procession which origin dates back to the 14th century.
It is organized by a local brotherhood which members wear a white tunics that covers their face.
During the procession, they parade through the town, singing a very suggestive Gregorian chant.
A particularity is that each member of the brotherhood inherits from the father the privilege of participating in the procession.
SORRENTO AND SURROUNDINGS
In Sorrento, on Palm Sunday, it is traditional to bless the Palme di Confetti. These are small representations of branches that have sugared almonds instead of flowers.
The hooded processions take place also in Sorrento.
Like the other processions of Holy Week, those of the Sorrento Peninsula symbolically represent the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Each procession is organized by a local confraternity.
Confraternities are associations of observant people belonging to local parishes. Each of them has tunics of a specific color. Therefore, the processions are named based on the color of the tunics, for example ‘red procession’, ‘black procession’ or ‘white procession’.
Torches and solemn hymns make the processions very fascinating. And, in particular, the most suggestive processions are the nocturnal ones.
WHEN TO SEE THE PROCESSIONS
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Sorrento:
– Holy Thursday from 8.30 PM,
– Good Friday from 9 PM,
– Good Friday from 3.00 AM. -
Sant’Agnello:
– Holy Thursday from 8 PM,
– Good Friday from 9 PM,
– Good Friday from 2.30 AM. -
Piano di Sorrento:
– Holy Thursday from 8 PM (white procession) and from 10 PM (red procession);
– Good Friday from 2.30 AM (white procession) and from 2.45 AM (black procession).
