Thursday, April 13, 2006
Good Friday in Sartene
Tomorrow is Good Friday. Although I'm not a religious person, it's impossible to escape the sombre tone of this day whatever the country you are in.
Three years ago I spent Good Friday in Sartene in Southern Corsica, having heard about the religious procession that takes place there on that day. It is called the Catenacciu. Despite arriving early, we were amazed by the crowds. I reckon that several thousand people were packed into the tiny Central Square, and they were there to see several priests carrying a statue of the crucified Christ, and a penitent in blood-red robes and a pointed hood completely obscuring his head, walking in procession through the streets of the town.
The penitent was wearing heavy chains attached to his ankles and as he walked you could hear them dragging along the ground. It looked tortuously painful and totally exhausting, yet as I understand it there is a long queue of people waiting to take their turn to be the penitent.
I won't be joining this queue, and I think my lack of a Corsican family name would prevent me taking part anyway. It is a very ancient ritual, echoed in several other Corsican towns and villages, and also in other Mediterranean countries. In Mediaeval times, the pentent was a genuine sinner, having thoroughly earned his penance, and the onlookers used to throw stones at him as he walked.
Thanks to a tip off, we got a better look at the proceedings than some. Someone told us that the procession would soon pass a certain very narrow part of the town and we were able to stand on a municipal flower container to get a better view. It felt voyeuristic to this North European, but like so many other things in this wonderful place, it's perfectly normal in Corsica.
Three years ago I spent Good Friday in Sartene in Southern Corsica, having heard about the religious procession that takes place there on that day. It is called the Catenacciu. Despite arriving early, we were amazed by the crowds. I reckon that several thousand people were packed into the tiny Central Square, and they were there to see several priests carrying a statue of the crucified Christ, and a penitent in blood-red robes and a pointed hood completely obscuring his head, walking in procession through the streets of the town.
The penitent was wearing heavy chains attached to his ankles and as he walked you could hear them dragging along the ground. It looked tortuously painful and totally exhausting, yet as I understand it there is a long queue of people waiting to take their turn to be the penitent.
I won't be joining this queue, and I think my lack of a Corsican family name would prevent me taking part anyway. It is a very ancient ritual, echoed in several other Corsican towns and villages, and also in other Mediterranean countries. In Mediaeval times, the pentent was a genuine sinner, having thoroughly earned his penance, and the onlookers used to throw stones at him as he walked.
Thanks to a tip off, we got a better look at the proceedings than some. Someone told us that the procession would soon pass a certain very narrow part of the town and we were able to stand on a municipal flower container to get a better view. It felt voyeuristic to this North European, but like so many other things in this wonderful place, it's perfectly normal in Corsica.
# posted by Derekthered @ 2:50 PM 
