Cavari e Nunziatari - Easter in Ispica
Easter in Ispica is a complex and demanding matter. Beyond the gravity of the religious festivity itself, the Ispicesi need to deal with the huge influx of visitors to the town, the majority of which are Ispicesi who for whatever reason no longer live in Ispica, and pace themselves so as to survive an intensive week of events that allows few hours of sleep from Holy Wednesday all the way to Easter Sunday.
The two main events are the processions of two "rival" brotherhoods. The "cavari" of Santa Maria Maggiore (or the red church because of the predominance of red in the church decoration) and the "nunziatari" of Santa Maria dell'Annunziata (or the blue church because of the predominance of blue in the decoration). Each church has its own iconic statue, its brotherhood and youth associations, and each has its own program of festivities, with the cavari in the spotlight on Thursday while the nunziatari are the stars of Friday's events.
The schedule of the cavari begins around 1 am on Holy Thursday, with a reenactment of the Via Crucis by a group of volunteers selected from the youth group of the church - the "Fazzoletti Rossi" - the Red Scarfs. The proceedings last all night long, and culminate with a return to Santa Maria Maggiore close to 4 am. After a tour of the city by the band around 8am, their iconic statue "u patri a culonna" - father on the column, is revealed. This statue is of some historical importance with some of its components dating back to 730AD. At 4 pm a solemn mass takes place in the church and at 6pm the main procession of the day starts, with the statue being carried by a select few throughout the whole city. The processions last well into late night, making various stops at other curches in Ispica, with music, fireworks and the crowds following it.
The nunziatari begin at 9am on Holy Friday, with their own band touring the city, while at 10am a parade of roman horse riders goes through. At 11am there is "A SCINNUTA", the revelation of their iconic statue, "u patri a cruci" - father on the cross, which descends from its resting place for most of the year through a complex mechanism installed in the church at some expense. A screen falls at a key moment of the ceremony and the statue slides down to be revealed to the adoring crowd. A mass takes place around 4 pm and at 6 pm there is "A SCIUTA", the exit of the statue from the church. Once more a procession through the city ensues, with roman horse riders, fireworks, the Blue Scarfs (the equivalents of the Red Scarfs), music bands and the crowds following the statue. The procession finishes around 1am on Holy Saturday.
On Holy Saturday itself, an eery calms falls over Ispica - the town is taking a rest after such an intensive series of events. But it is far from over, as on Sunday everyone is out in force with yet another procession, which we will describe tomorrow...
