The Procession of the Living Mysteries
An open-air theatre where the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ is performed.
Every year, on Holy Thursday, the procession of the Living Mysteries is celebrated. The main streets in the centre of Marsala are transformed into a theatre and the city prepares to welcome a multitude of people for the Procession, the rite by which the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ is represented.
This ancient tradition of ours, heir to the sacred representations of the Middle Ages, originated in the first half of the 17th century when the Confraternity of St Anne, which also created the church of the same name, first began to organise the event, bringing it to the present day.
Over the centuries, the starting point of the procession has remained the Church of Sant'Anna, in Via XIX Luglio, from where eight groups of 'living' characters start off, still wearing the clothes and costumes of the time, including the sumptuous ones of the 'Veronichette' enriched with gold and jewellery, with only the Christ character wearing an exciting mask, so as to ensure he always looks the same.
The city band accompanies the event with its horns and the sound of drums. Faith, folklore, devotion, curiosity, all typical elements of the popular Sicilian procession, are unleashed, and late in the evening the Crucifixion is staged, the final moment of the Holy Thursday Procession.
The most significant acts representing the various stages of Christ's drama:
- Jesus with the apostles
- The Capture of Jesus
- Jesus before Herod
- Jesus before Pilate
- Jesus with the cross
- Jesus' death
The procession route: the streets involved
The holy procession will start at 12:30 p.m. from the Church of the Carmine, crossing the following streets:
- Carmine Square
- Via Garraffa
- Via Garibaldi
- Piazza Mameli (Porta Garibaldi)
- Via Vespri
- Piazza del Popolo
- Via Mazzini
- Via Francesco Crispi
- Via Roma
- Piazza Matteotti (Porta Mazara)
- Via XI Maggio
- Piazza della Repubblica (Loggia)
- Via Cammareri Scurti
- Via Garraffa
- Piazza Carmine
Expected return to the Carmine Church at 7:00 p.m.
A dedicated area for the disabled will be provided in Piazza del Popolo and a parking area at the Fish Market on the Colonnello Maltese waterfront.