Arbëreshë Easter (Pashkët) – Holy Week Rites

The Arbëreshë Easter of Santa Cristina Gela

In the heart of the province of Palermo, at an altitude of 651 meters, the small town of Santa Cristina Gela preserves one of the most fascinating religious traditions in Sicily: the Arbëreshë Easter, known in the Albanian language as Pashkët. Founded in the 17th century by Albanian refugees, the village is one of the five Sicilian Arbëreshë communities gathered around the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi, which have carefully preserved their faith, language, and Greek-Byzantine rite traditions for over five centuries.

A bilingual Holy Week

What makes the rites of Santa Cristina Gela unique is the coexistence of two languages and two cultural souls. On the last Friday of Lent, the song of the Resurrection of Lazarus resonates, sung in the Albanian language. On Good Friday, however, the song of the Passion of Jesus is performed in the Sicilian dialect: the faithful walk through the streets of the town collecting eggs offered by families, which are then dyed red and blessed.

The days of the Great and Holy Week

The Java e Madhe (the Great Week) marks intense days of Byzantine liturgy:

• Palm Sunday (Rromollidhet): a solemn procession with the blessing of palms and olive branches, evoking Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.
• Holy Thursday (E Intja e Madhe): commemoration of the Last Supper with the representation of the washing of the feet.
• Good Friday (E Prëmtja e Madhe): singing of the Passion in Sicilian, procession of the Dead Christ with the Madonna Addolorata, and the evocative burial rite; the bells remain "tied" from Thursday to Saturday.
• Holy Saturday (E Shtuna e Madhe): the churches are adorned with laurel leaves and, at noon, the bells ring again to announce the Resurrection.
• Easter Sunday (Pashkët): the solemn Pontifical Mass, the most evocative moment of the liturgical year, amidst the harmony of the chants and the splendor of the vestments.

Red eggs and traditional costumes

On Easter Day, red eggs (vetë e kuqe) and panaret pastries—basket-shaped treats containing a red egg—are prepared. The ceremony concludes with a splendid procession of women in sumptuous traditional Albanian costumes, followed by the distribution of red eggs, a symbol of Christ's passion, birth, and resurrection. It is at this moment that the ancient Byzantine Easter greeting, Christòs anèsti ("Christ is risen"), resonates.

An identity heritage of Arbëreshë Sicily

The Holy Week rites of Santa Cristina Gela, together with those of Piana degli Albanesi, Contessa Entellina, Mezzojuso, and Palazzo Adriano, constitute an intangible heritage of rare intensity. A journey into Arbëreshë Sicily during Easter means discovering a culture that has survived for over five centuries, made of language, liturgical chant, gastronomy, and devotion, in the heart of the Sicilian Region.