Easter holiday on Gargano [2023]

Spending Easter on the Gargano is an excellent idea. Indeed, at this time of year one can easily get to know the true character of the spur of Italy. Nature is finally awakening after the long winter, the sun becomes pleasantly warm and the villages are preparing to welcome religious events. The roadsides and the woods are filled with wild orchids, a unique phenomenon of its kind, which sees its maximum splendor in spring. In this article we tell you everything you can do at Easter on the Gargano, enjoy reading!

Processions and folk events

Among the most beautiful things to do during the Easter holidays on the Gargano there is certainly the participation in the various processions and local folk events. The rites of Holy Week begin in the morning. On Holy Thursday the mass of the Cena Domini is celebrated in the main church of the village and subsequently there is the ritual of the bells “attacchéne li ccampéne”. The statue of Christ is covered with the pivale, a white cloak, and an umbrella by the priest, and carried in procession to the Sepulchre, an altar decorated with red drapes and white veils. The church of Mattinata remains open throughout the night and a coming and going of people watch over the Sepulchres. Good Friday is celebrated in all the villages with typical events and processions.

The procession of the “Fracchie”

In San Marco in Lamis, for example, Good Friday is celebrated with the historic procession of the Addolorata accompanied by the “Fracchie”. The Fracchie are nothing but large oak trunks filled with wood and branches which are set on fire. These burning trunks become like huge and fascinating torches, which accompany the statue of Madonna Addolorata through the city which, desperate, is looking for her child. When the sun sets, the fracchie create a wonderful golden trail.

The Crazy mass

In Vico del Gargano, on the other hand, the Crazy Mass is celebrated, so called because it is a ritual with high-pitched sounds and lamentations. The members of the five brotherhoods of Vico del Gargano, barefoot and with hoods on their heads, carry the statue of the Virgin Mary of Sorrows intoning dirges and laments to express the pain of Christ’s death. At the end of the procession, the brothers begin to sing the Miserere and the faithful scream and shout at the top of their lungs and forcefully, freeing themselves from the weight of pain and suffering felt by Christ. It is a ritual handed down for centuries in the wonderful setting of the medieval village.

Good Friday in Peschici

On the night of Good Friday, in Peschici, a marvelous village perched on the sea, two processions pass through the alleys of the town without ever meeting. The first group is made up of only men, barefoot and in long tunics, carrying the statue of the Dead Christ. The other is made up only of women dressed in black and with their faces covered by veils, carrying the statue of Madonna Addolorata. These two processions cross the town, with its white houses carved into the rock, to finally meet under the Torre del Ponte, located right at the entrance to the ancient village. Here amid shouts and songs, the Madonna finds her son again.

Easter on the Gargano, Good Friday in Monte Sant’Angelo

Monte Sant’Angelo it is counted among the most beautiful villages in Italy and has two UNESCO sites. It is located on the top of a mountain, surrounded by Mediterranean scrub and overlooking the Gulf of Manfredonia. In Monte Sant’Angelo you can breathe positive vibes, it is a village with great spiritual strength that welcomes thousands of pilgrims every year. On the occasion of Easter, the procession of the Dead Christ takes place with Madonna Addolorata desperately seeking Jesus Christ. The ritual foresees that the Quarantine, a puppet, similar to a witch, hung in the streets of the village, with a withered face and an evil gaze, is burned. At the end of the procession, the hunters target the Quarantine until they set it on fire while the young people sing melodies and dance.

Easter and Easter Monday on the Gargano

The days preceding Easter, as we have seen, are full of folk events aimed at representing the pain of Christ and the Madonna. When Easter finally arrives, however, everything changes and finally you can enjoy good food and nature. We organize lunches and out-of-town trips, among the most popular are a visit to the Umbra Forest and excursions in the Gargano National Park. Among the things to do on Easter Monday, we suggest a visit to Vieste, perhaps to have lunch overlooking the sea.