Holy Week of Biancavilla / A sira dei Tri Misteri

A centuries-old tradition at the foot of Mount Etna

The Holy Week of Biancavilla, a town in the province of Catania situated on the southwestern slopes of Mount Etna, is one of the most intense expressions of Sicilian religious folklore. Its rites have roots in the 17th century and are now inscribed in the Intangible Heritage Register of the Sicily Region, a recognition that protects their cultural and anthropological value. As Leonardo Sciascia once noted, there is no town in Sicily where the Passion of Christ is not relived through a true theatrical representation: in Biancavilla, this devotion manifests in a week of processions, dramatizations, and ritual gestures that involve the entire community.

The Tri Misteri, the heart of Good Friday

The highlight is the procession of the Tri Misteri, which, at nightfall on Good Friday, winds through the historic center in what is known as the "giro dei Santi." Eight sculptural groups narrate the final moments of Christ's earthly life in sequence: among the simulacra, the Christ at the Column, the 18th-century carved wooden Ecce Homo, the late 17th-century Dead Christ with articulated arms, and the Addolorata stand out. The groups are carried on the shoulders of young members of the confraternities with the characteristic "annacata," a rhythmic swaying of Spanish influence.

The local confraternities

The historic confraternities of Biancavilla participate in Holy Week, each distinguished by its own colored mozzetta:

• Annunziata (established in 1656), blue mozzetta
• Santissimo Sacramento (early 17th century), red mozzetta
• Santissimo Crocifisso e Anime Purganti, white habit with hood
• Maria Santissima della Mercede, San Giuseppe, Sant'Antonio, and Santa Maria dell'Idria

The rites of the week

The devotional journey begins on Palm Sunday with the Living Stations of the Cross, a performance featuring over a hundred actors that reenacts the Passion from the Last Supper to Calvary. On Maundy Thursday, the washing of the feet and the visit to the altars of repose are celebrated, accompanied by the evocative tradition of the "Cruciddi." On Good Friday morning, the Cerca (Search) of the Addolorata sees the Virgin Mary searching for the simulacrum of her Son through the town's streets.

From the Calata da Tila to the Paci

On Holy Saturday, the rite of the Calata da Tila reveals the Risen Christ amidst the singing of the Gloria. Easter Sunday culminates with A Paci: the Archangel Gabriel emerges from the Annunziata church accompanied by a band, announces the Resurrection, and facilitates the meeting between the Risen Christ and the Madonna in the square of the Collegiate Basilica. It is the most joyful moment of the entire Holy Week, experienced by the entire community of the Etna region.