Though sharing many traits with surrounding Easter rites, Holy Week in Calamonaci has its own distinctive identity: the community’s historical division into two confraternities—no longer formally institutionalized—remains evident: the Sanmichelari (devotees of Saint Michael) and the Sangiovannari (devotees of Saint John). This rivalry, rooted in the patronal feast, has softened over time but remains perceptible in the Easter rites.

The key ritual moments of Holy Week are:
– Palm Sunday morning: the procession of palms from Calvary to the Mother Church, ending with a Gloria hymn by the group of lament singers before the congregation enters.
– Holy Thursday evening: the procession of Our Lady of Sorrows, reenacting her search for Jesus along the saints’ route, accompanied by sorrowful chants performed by a women’s group.
– Good Friday: two pivotal events. In the morning, the crucifixion is preceded by the procession of the urn of the Dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows from the church to Calvary. In the evening, Christ is taken down from the cross, and both images are returned in procession to the church. Both events are accompanied by lamentations sung by the lamentatura group.
Until the 1970s, these lamenters were divided: the Sangiovannari followed the urn of Christ, and the Sanmichelari followed the Virgin. The rites are managed by both the parish and an external committee, including the Michele Palminteri Association, which for over 35 years has promoted the lamentatura tradition.

Easter Sunday features the Lu Ncontru, the symbolic meeting of the Risen Christ and the Virgin Mary in a central communal space. Saint Michael’s statue runs three times between the two, dramatizing the reunion. Here too, confraternity rivalry emerges: the Sanmichelari usually carry both the Archangel and the Virgin, while the Sangiovannari carry the Risen Christ.
Together with the patronal feast, Holy Week is one of the community’s two main expressions of cultural identity. Easter in Calamonaci is an anthropological preview of the patronal celebration. While liturgical spirituality is especially strong on Good Friday, it’s clear that Lu Ncontru is a ritual counterpart to the Rigattiate of the patronal feast.

 

This element has been included in the Register of Intangible Heritage of local interest of the Municipality of Calamonaci, as part of Intervention 6 “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 “ Metasicani effetto farfalla” 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: J79I22000180006.