The Procession of the Veiled Christ consists of a procession of the statue of the Dead Christ, placed on a bier resembling a funeral catafalque and covered with a white cloth, moving between the churches of Carmine, the Mother Church, and the small chapel of the Virgo Dolorosa.

On the afternoon of Palm Sunday, the statue is prepared beneath the high altar of the Church of the Carmine. After a brief prayer by the officiating priest, the procession begins. The cortege, led by the priest and a small group of altar boys, proceeds toward the Mother Church. The catafalque is carried on the shoulders of the women of the town, who sing Holy Week hymns during the journey.

Upon arrival at the Mother Church, the bier is placed before the main altar. The Crucifixion is then reenacted by a group of men, who mount the statue onto a cross on the right side of the altar. A religious service follows, including the reading of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Once the reading concludes, the statue of the Dead Christ is removed from the cross and once again placed on the bier.

The procession then resumes, following the same route, until reaching the chapel of the Virgo Dolorosa, where the bier is set down. It will remain there until Good Friday, when the statue of the Dead Christ is carried in procession for the Crucifixion at Calvary.

The symbolism of the Veiled Christ carries a message of hope and redemption. It represents rebirth—what the soul may attain after enduring suffering (symbolized by the Cross). Although this procession does not take place on Good Friday, it follows the same solemn liturgical form: there is no supporting Mass, either before or after. It is a quiet and composed procession, stripped of folkloric or theatrical elements. It is a unique event, deeply representative of a community resistant to letting go of its most intimate soul.

This element has been included in the Register of Intangible Heritage of local interest of the Municipality of Sant’Angelo Muxaro, as part of Intervention 5 “Activation of the Observatory on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Territory through the application of the REIL methodology – Register of Intangible Heritage of Local Interest”, within the “Mito, storia e tradizioni agropastorali” project, funded by the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), Mission: Digitalisation, innovation, competitiveness, culture and tourism, Component: Tourism and culture 4.0, Investment 2.1 “Attractiveness of villages.” CUP: E69I22000140006.