Taranto, at the roots of Holy Week

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Two days of free events to delve into the suggestion of Holy Week in Taranto, the most awaited event in the Ionian city between devotion and ancient community traditions.

On Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March, Taranto is scheduled, at the roots of Holy Week, the event organized by Italea Puglia to rediscover the rites that precede Easter, the places of faith and art, the work in progress of the Confraternities, the life of the city between past and present.

Italea Puglia confirms its commitment to the enhancement of the rites of Holy Week that link Puglia to Europe, with this intense two days during which Taranto residents and tourists will be able to visit the exhibition “Taranto and Granada. A bridge of faith” and, in addition, participate in two engaging guided tours to discover the city and its devotional rites.

The event is promoted by Italea Puglia in collaboration with the Municipality of Taranto, the La Veste Rossa association, the Southern Maritime Command of the Navy, Confcommercio Taranto, the Majorano Museum, Taranto Grand Tour, Artava Association and the Federation of Confraternities of Granada.

A few weeks after the inauguration of the photographic exhibition “Taranto and Granada. A bridge of faith” by the association La veste rossa curated by Professor Luigi Montenegro, on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 March the exhibition arrives in the prestigious venue of the Aragonese Castle in Taranto.

The event is a preview of the international event that from 6 to 12 April will see the exhibition as the protagonist in Granada – one of the most significant cities for Semana Santa in Andalusia – in which Italea Puglia will also participate. The exhibition project is part of the twinning activities between the Municipalities of Taranto and Granada (signed last year), and in the wake of the research work stimulated by an international conference that Professor Montenegro has been promoting for several years, with the participation of the major Italian and European Confraternities linked to the rites of Holy Week.

At the center of the Taranto exhibition are the places, faces and appointments that mark the devotional calendar, such as the famous “pardons”, the penitents who cross the city hooded and barefoot, the two processions on Good Thursday and Good Friday with the statues of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Mysteries, the symbols of the rites such as the troccola, the ancient percussion instrument that announces the death of Jesus, or the “bordone”, the pilgrims’ stick, or even the “nazzecata”, the very slow pace of the steps in procession that characterizes the Taranto scenery.

For the occasion, the exhibition will be enriched by a selection of shots of the celebrations of the rites of the Andalusian city, curated by the Federation of Confraternities of Granada, which portray suggestive similarities with those of Taranto.

Those who take part in the two-day Italea Puglia will also have the opportunity to participate in two new guided tours co-designed with Taranto Grand Tour and the Majorano Ethnographic Museum.

The poster of the event

Our program to discover Holy Week

On Saturday 29 March , the programme of events begins at 5 pm at the Southern Gallery of the Aragonese Castle with the presentation of the exhibition Taranto and Granada. A bridge of faith curated by Professor Luigi Montenegro of La Veste Rossa and with a selection of shots from the Federation of Confraternities of Granada.

At 6.30 pm, at the end of the presentation, starting from the Aragonese Castle, the Behind the scenes tour of the Taranto Holy Week will open, a guided tour by Taranto Grand Tour expressly designed for the occasion, which will lead through the places, stories and protagonists of the rites (free participation, max 20 people, info and reservations: +39 3388524409).

The program of Saturday 29 March

On Sunday, March 30 , the appointment is at 11 a.m. at the Majorano Ethnographic Museum for a unique experience, to discover the collection of the scholar Alfredo Majorano dedicated to the magical and religious rites of the Ionian province, which will be exceptionally animated by the musical performance I suoni di una volta, with Cosimo Pastore and Francesco Pastorelli (free participation, max 20 people, info and reservations: +39 3792935991).

The Museum houses the materials collected by the Taranto playwright and ethnographer Majorano, which document the traditional life of the area, from festivities to rituals of care and devotion, from traditional music to work on land and at sea. With “The sounds of the past” Pastore and Pastorelli, active with the group PrimitivoTrad. in the search for and revival of the historical and traditional musical heritage of the Taranto area, will accompany the participants on a journey through the sounds and melodies recovered thanks to Majorano’s commitment, starting with the Passion Songs typical of popular religiosity linked to Holy Week, without forgetting tarantellas, pizziche and stornellate.

The program of Sunday 30 March