Holy Week of Piana degli Albanesi (Pashkët)

The Byzantine Easter of the Sicilian Arbëreshë heart

A few kilometers from Palermo, nestled on a plateau overlooking the lake of the same name, Piana degli Albanesi (Hora e Arbëreshëvet) is the most significant Arbëreshë center in Sicily. Founded at the end of the 15th century by Albanian refugees fleeing the Ottoman advance, the community has preserved its language, traditions, and above all, the Greek-Byzantine rite for over five centuries. It is during Holy Week — the Java e Madhe, culminating in Pashkët, or Easter — that this identity manifests in all its power, drawing thousands of faithful and visitors every year to this municipality in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily.

Ten days of liturgies and processions

Celebrations open on the Friday before Palm Sunday with the Feast of Lazarus (Lazëri), when the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified begins at the Cathedral of Saint Demetrius the Great Martyr, and the song of the Resurrection echoes through the village streets. Palm Sunday (Rromollidhet) offers one of the most evocative sights: after the blessing of palms and olive branches at the Church of Saint Nicholas, the Eparch, riding a donkey and wrapped in his mantle (mandìas), travels along the main street to reach the Cathedral and celebrate the Pontifical Divine Liturgy in the Greek rite.

The Triduum: washing of the feet, laments, and Epitafios

On Holy Thursday (E Enjtja e Madhe), the ritual of the washing of the feet is renewed, and the village churches — Saint Nicholas, Saint George, Madonna dell'Odigitria, Saint Vitus, and the Annunziata — remain open for visits to the altars of repose. Good Friday (E Premtja e Madhe) is the most intense day: following the Great Hours and the Matins of Lamentations, the procession of the Dead Christ (the Epitafios) winds through the village, accompanied by ancient funeral chants (the vajtimet) and the somber sound of traditional wooden instruments, the cokë and the çikarrë. The bells remain silent from Thursday until noon on Holy Saturday, when the Cathedral fills with laurel leaves for baptisms and the Easter proclamation Christós Anésti rings out.

The costume parade and the red eggs

The most anticipated moment is Easter Sunday (Pashkët). At the end of the solemn Pontifical Liturgy, about three hundred women don precious traditional Arbëreshë costumes—outfits inspired by 15th-century fashion, dominated by red, green, and purple, and rich in embroidery, ribbons, veils, and jewelry—and parade along Corso Giorgio Kastriota to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. The historical dress of Piana degli Albanesi has been inscribed in the Sicilian Registry of Intangible Heritage since 2016. In the square, the blessing (bekimi) is imparted, and the red eggs (vetë të kuqe), prepared by families on Holy Saturday, are distributed: their color recalls the blood of Christ and symbolizes the cyclical nature of life, fertility, and the Resurrection.

A living heritage

The Holy Week of Piana degli Albanesi is not merely a folkloric re-enactment, but a lived liturgy where the sacred and popular tradition merge into a rare example of identity continuity. Between storytelling performances, Easter concerts at the Seminary Theater, and the flavors of Arbëreshë cuisine, Pashkët remains one of the most authentic and fascinating events of the Sicilian spring.