PhD Program in Historical studies
The Holy Week in Apulia
During Holy Week in Apulia there are many important processions. Usually, the sacred representations begin with a parade of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is held on the Friday before Palm Sunday. The main feature of the ceremonies of Apulia is the composure with which the confraternities perform the rite of the Passion to the mournful sound of funeral dirges. In many cases, the pilgrimage of the faithful takes place on Holy Thursday among the churches in the city for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (which a well-established yet inaccurate tradition confused with the Tomb). Good Friday, however, is devoted to the procession of the Misteri: the groups of statues depicting the Passion and Death of Christ. The number and the historical origin of the statuary groups vary by location. At Velenzano (Bari), for example, there are even forty-eight processional images. Worthy of note are the rituals that take place in Ruvo di Puglia.