Living the village as a local

Holy Friday in Vernazza. As all the small ancient Italian villages Vernazza still strongly preserves traditions from the past. They are mostly joined to the religious liturgy sometimes with pagan variations.
Therefore the holy Catholic festivities are always an opportunity for the visitors to live traditional moments and share them with the locals.
One of these is the celebration of Easter Holy Friday. The date varies according the Catholic traditions and it may fall in a period that goes from the End of March to Mid April. In 2018 Easter Sunday will be on April 1st, so hurry up to book your Vernazza apartment or room. Sea views or charming places go fast!

If you want to go deep into the Holy Friday traditional procession you can watch following video

Preparation of the scene

The entire village is decorated with lights.

Tourists and locals wait for the procession enjoying the sunset and having an aperitif on the main square.

Not to be missed the amazing presentation of the Holy Sepulchre. The old ladies of the village all gather to make every year a creation of art. Their skills and devotion are all joined to create a piece of art around the tomb of the Christ.

Candles are lit all over Santa Margherita Church and the atmosphere is intimate, ideal for meditation.

It does not matter which religion you profess, it’s a balming and blessing moment for your soul spending a few minutes here in this church by the waters.

The Procession

At night, around 9:00 p.m., the procession starts from the Church Square. Children in festive Catholic attire help the priest and the volunteers to start the procession.

The heavy Holy Cross and the statue of Christ’s Corpse is carried all through the village and back to the church.

A memorable Rite of Peace

 

Vernazza sky is watching quietly over the scene, while tourists and locals keep the images of this delightful rite of peace deep in their heart.