Holy Week processions in Mendrisio

Categories: social practices, rituals and festive events; performing arts.

Good Friday: children with transparenti © Adriano Heitmann

The Holy Week processions, which are documented as far back as the second half of the 17th century, make their way through the old town of Mendrisio on the evenings of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. The street lights are turned off so that the lanes are bathed in the soft light given off by illuminated pictures called transparenti. The pictures are of varying shapes and sizes and are lit from inside. They light up the entire route and depict scenes from the Gospel and Old Testament. On the evening of Maundy Thursday, around 270 amateur players act out the Passion of Christ through a series of scenes based on the Gospels. The performances feature horsemen, Roman soldiers and biblical characters dressed in lavish costumes. The procession is characterised by the absence of dialogue between characters, who only express themselves through silent gestures and poses.
The simple and formal Good Friday procession is imbued with a more pronounced religious element. More than 700 members of the various brotherhoods and church associations take part. The men carry statues of the dead Christ and grieving Virgin Mary, and onlookers are invited to bow down before them. The procession features three companies of musicians playing solemn funeral marches, with herald drummers on horseback leading the way and bringing up the rear. The Holy Week processions are preceded by the Settenario, a church ceremony dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary.

On 12 December 2019, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage met in Bogota (Colombia) and inscribed the Holy Week processions in Mendrisio on its representative list.