L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano d e f i n i n g t r a i t o f S i c i l i a n identity. H o l y W e e k i s t h e m o s t s i g n i f i c a n t e v e n t i n t h e Orthodox calendar, a power- f u l s y m b o l o f h o p e , a s e x p r e s s e d i n t h e E a s t e r h y m n C h r i s t o s a n e s t i – Krishti u ngjall (Christ is r i s e n – T r u l y , C h r i s t i s r i s e n ) . T h e c e l e b r a t i o n includes the Liturgy of the Hours, the sacraments, the sacred mysteries, and the D i v i n e L i t u r g y , r e c i t e d a c c o r d i n g t o t w o a n c i e n t t e x t s . S o l e m n r e a d i n g s , psalms, deep prostrations followed by long periods of s t a n d i n g , a n d a s t u n n i n g palette of symbols unfold: gold is replaced by red and violet; gestures, chants, pro- cessions, incense, scents, and flowers come together to honor Christ's death and resurrection for all believers. O n t h e F r i d a y b e f o r e Palm Sunday, the Resurrec- tion of Lazarus (Lazëri) is commemorated. Groups of y o u n g p e o p l e , l e d b y t h e p a p à s ( t h e p r i e s t o f t h e Byzantine church), gather on the church steps to sing the ancient hymn recalling the miracle. They then con- t i n u e t h r o u g h t h e n i g h t , walking the streets of the town, welcomed by families who offer them eggs, sweets, dried fruit, and drinks in a gesture of hospitality and s h a r e d c e l e b r a t i o n . P a l m Sunday (E Diellja e Rromol- l i d h e t ) , a p o w e r f u l c o m - m e m o r a t i o n o f C h r i s t ' s e n t r a n c e i n t o J e r u s a l e m , At the church in Piana degli Albanesi, a Christian and Catholic community, liturgies are celebrated in t h e G r e e k - B y z a n t i n e r i t e using both Greek and Alban- ian. The rich, symbolic cere- m o n y d e r i v e s f r o m t h e sacred texts written by the great Church Fathers of the Greek tradition, Saint Basil and Saint John Chrysostom. Holy Week — Java e Madhe — marks the spiritual and ceremonial high point of the year. For more than five hun- d r e d y e a r s , t h e p e o p l e o f Piana degli Albanesi have celebrated Easter according to their religious, civic, and folkloric traditions. Their language, never forgotten or suppressed, is an integral p a r t o f t h e r i t e s a n d a n expression of cultural identi- ty. Alongside it, their tradi- tional clothing, particularly the elaborate women's cos- tumes, takes center stage during the most important celebrations. Embroidered with gold thread, adorned with belts, lace, and exquis- ite detailing, these garments are treated as precious heir- looms, preserved and passed down like works of art. Language, the Byzantine rite, and traditional dress all form part of the cultural heritage of this commu- nity, which has been part of Sicilian society for centuries. Their traditions and customs have blended with those of the island, enriching it in the s p i r i t o f h o s p i t a l i t y — a begins with the blessing of p a l m f r o n d s a n d o l i v e branches. A solemn proces- s i o n f o l l o w s , l e d b y t h e Eparch, who holds a crucifix in one hand and a palm in the other. Clad in a ceremo- nial mantle (mandias), he proceeds on the back of a d o n k e y a l o n g t h e m a i n s t r e e t t o t h e c a t h e d r a l , where the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. O n H o l y T h u r s d a y ( E I n t j a e M a d h e ) , t h e r i t e s continue with the moving ritual of the washing of the f e e t — a m o m e n t o f p r o - f o u n d h u m i l i t y . T h e n e x t day, Good Friday (E Prentja e Madhe), marks the Passion and Death of Christ with tra- ditional Albanian hymns. Colors and scents take cen- ter stage during this emo- tionally charged ceremony, in which the image of Christ, adorned with flowers, is car- ried in procession as mourn- e r s s i n g f u n e r a l c h a n t s a c c o m p a n i e d b y a n c i e n t wooden instruments of dis- tinctly Byzantine origin. Holy Saturday (E Shtunia e Madhe) celebrates Christ's triumph. The altar, square to symbolize perfection, faces east. Easter Sunday is filled w i t h h y m n s a n d d a z z l i n g l i t u r g i c a l v e s t m e n t s t h a t h o n o r t h e L o r d t h r o u g h beauty. In keeping with tra- dition, red-dyed eggs are offered to visitors arriving in Piana degli Albanesi at the entrance to the town—a s y m b o l o f w e l c o m e a n d rebirth. I n T r a p a n i , t h e G o o d F r i d a y P r o c e s s i o n o f t h e Mysteries takes center stage. In Adrano, the medieval D i a v o l a t a i s p e r f o r m e d . Modica hosts a living Via C r u c i s , w h i l e i n M i n e o , n a k e d p e n i t e n t s p a r a d e t h r o u g h t h e s t r e e t s , a n d Militello holds a nighttime Holy Thursday procession. A n d t h e s e a r e j u s t a f e w examples. Then there is Easter as c e l e b r a t e d b y t h e Arbëreshë communities, w h o l i v e i n t o w n s l i k e P i a n a d e g l i A l b a n e s i , C o n t e s s a E n t e l l i n a , S a n t a C r i s t i n a G e l a , Mezzojuso, and Palazzo Adriano. These are descen- dants of Albanians who fled the Ottoman Turks and later settled in Sicily; many now live in Palermo. They cele- brate Easter according to the Byzantine rite, blend- ing religion, folklore, spiri- tuality, and tradition into one moving celebration. In Santa Cristina Gela, on the last Friday of Lent, the Song of the Resurrection of Lazarus is sung in Alban- ian, while on Good Friday the Song of the Passion is performed in Sicilian. The b e a u t y a n d s o l e m n i t y o f these traditions and celebra- tions are rooted in centuries of coexistence among differ- e n t e t h n i c c o m m u n i t i e s , who continue to pass down their Pashkët Arbëreshe në Sicili — the Albanian Easter in Sicily — from one genera- tion to the next. P ietro Mascagni was just 27 years old when he com- posed Cavalle- ria Rusticana, a o n e - a c t o p e r a t h a t m e t with immediate success at its premiere on May 17, 1890, at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. Inspired by Giovanni Verga's novella of the same name, the opera is set in the small Sicilian town of Vizzini, in the province of Catania. It tells the story of a betrayal t h a t e n d s i n t r a g e d y : t h e death of one of the two male p r o t a g o n i s t s , A l f i o a n d T u r i d d u . T h e k e y f e m a l e characters are Lola, Santuz- za, and Lucia. It is Easter Sunday. Turiddu, engaged to Santuzza, betrays her with his former lover, Lola, who, during Turiddu's unexpect- edly extended military ser- vice, married Alfio. Santuzza confides in Lucia, Turiddu's mother, revealing the affair b e t w e e n h e r s o n a n d t h e unfaithful Lola. The drama escalates as accusations fly between the two women, and w h e n A l f i o l e a r n s o f t h e b e t r a y a l , a c o n f r o n t a t i o n with Turiddu ensues. In the s h a d o w o f M o u n t E t n a ' s f i e r y p r e s e n c e , t e m p e r s ignite, and Turiddu meets a violent end, stabbed to death by Alfio. But despite the Easter set- t i n g , t h e o p e r a ' s e n d i n g stands in stark contrast to the sacred themes of Holy W e e k . W h i l e C a v a l l e r i a Rusticana ends in death and vengeance, Easter celebrates not only death, but the Res- urrection of Christ — who accepted crucifixion out of l o v e f o r h u m a n i t y a n d t o affirm his divine mission. E a s t e r i s u n d o u b t e d l y the most deeply felt and reli- giously observed celebration across Christian communi- ties. It honors both the mar- tyrdom and the resurrection of Christ, an event that forms the cornerstone of Christian faith, rooted in the promise of eternal life and the hope of reuniting with Jesus in the afterlife. There is no city, town, or village in Sicily — no matter how small — that does not m a r k E a s t e r w i t h s o l e m n c e r e m o n i e s , p r o c e s s i o n s , Masses, and confraternities' r i t u a l s . T h e s e a r e o f t e n accompanied by local tradi- tions, many of them culi- nary. TERESA DI FRESCO In Sicily, Easter is also Arbëreshë Easter celebrations in Sicily. The Arbëreshë community still participates in traditional Byzantine rites (Photo: Emily Wilson/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE REVIEWS ADVICE TRADITIONS

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