Canti di Passione – Ce Custi o Gaddho na Cantalisi

The Canti di Passione in Castrignano de' Greci

Every year, in the period leading up to Easter, the small village of Castrignano de' Greci, in the province of Lecce, becomes one of the stages for the «Canti di Passione – Ce Custi o Gaddho na Cantalisi» festival, an itinerary that crosses the towns of Grecìa Salentina to rediscover the devotional begging songs linked to Holy Week. The title, in the Grika language, recalls the ancient gesture of singers who would knock from door to door, chanting the Passion of Christ.

A village of Grecìa Salentina

Castrignano de' Greci is part of the Hellenophone enclave of Salento, where traces of Grika, the ancient Greek-based dialect, are still preserved. The Castrignano stage transforms the historic center into a path that dialogues between the sacred and the contemporary: from Palazzo de Gualtieris, home to the KORA contemporary art center, an itinerary unfolds that touches the Pozzelle, the Crypt of Sant'Onofrio, the Church of the Immaculate, and the Mother Church, ending at the Maria Ss. Annunziata church.

Music, study, and devotion

The festival is not just a performance: alongside the songs and processions, it offers moments of study and discussion with scholars and ethnomusicologists to enhance a fragile and precious oral heritage. In Castrignano de' Greci, the afternoon opens with a workshop dedicated to Easter begging songs, followed in the evening by a musical procession involving confraternities, traditional groups, and ensembles linked to Salento folk music.

The roots of the festival

Born between 2003 and 2004 thanks to the efforts of cultural operators like Luigi Chiriatti and Gianni De Santis, with the first events in Sternatia and Cutrofiano, the festival has progressively extended to the entire Grecìa Salentina community. Today, it is promoted by the Union of Municipalities of Grecìa Salentina together with the Diego Carpitella Institute, in partnership with the La Notte della Taranta Foundation and the Province of Lecce.

For visitors, the Castrignano de' Greci stage is an opportunity to experience the Salento Holy Week in an authentic dimension, amidst popular faith, the Grika language, and landscapes of stone and olive trees.