Good Friday Procession (Holy Week)

The Good Friday Procession in Sciara

The Good Friday Procession is the most intense and well-attended rite of Holy Week in Sciara, a small town of just under three thousand inhabitants nestled 210 meters above sea level in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily. On the afternoon and evening of Good Friday, the sacred floats (vare) of the Dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows leave the Mother Church to be carried on shoulders through the streets of the historic center, accompanied by the prayers of the faithful and the poignant notes of funeral marches.

A rite rooted in the community

The procession is organized by the Sant'Anna Parish, the spiritual heart of the town. Following the Palermo diocesan model, the simulacrum of the Dead Christ, lying in an urn, precedes that of the Sorrowful Mother, dressed in mourning. The procession winds slowly, marked by the rhythmic pace of the bearers, in an atmosphere of contemplation that makes this event one of the strongest identity-defining moments of community life in Sciara. The devotion has its roots in the long religious history of the village, founded in 1671 and linked from its origins to the church dedicated to Saint Anne.

Inside Holy Week

Good Friday is part of a calendar of rites that spans the entire Sciara Holy Week: it begins with the blessing of the palms and Mass on Palm Sunday, continues with the celebrations of the Paschal Triduum, and leads to the Way of the Cross and the procession of the floats. Everything culminates on Easter Sunday, when the solemn procession of the Risen Christ leads the community back to the Mother Church for the solemn Mass, transforming the sorrow of Friday into Easter joy.

The Sicilian tradition of the vare

The processions of the Dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows belong to a tradition widespread throughout western Sicily, introduced to Palermo by the Spanish in the 16th century. The statues, often made of papier-mâché, are carried on decorated platforms; the swaying, rhythmic movement of the bearers is a characteristic feature. In Sciara, this legacy is kept alive thanks to the community's strong bond with the Mother Church, considered the symbol of the town and supported also by the "Sciaresi d'America" emigrants.

2026 Edition

In 2026, Good Friday fell on April 3rd. Due to bad weather, the outdoor procession could not take place as usual: the celebration and the Way of the Cross were held inside the Mother Church, by candlelight. On that occasion, the Western Sicily Delegation of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George visited Sciara, testifying to their closeness to the local parish community.