Medieval summer
On August 13th, thanks to the cooperation between the minicipality and the “Società dei Quartieri Storici Medioevali di Villa Ecclesiae” (Society of the Historical Medieval quarters of Villa Ecclesiae), The Medieval Parade takes place. It covers all the narrow streets of the old medieval town that become, once again, alive with hundreds of figurants wearing medieval costumes. The parade, together with the Crossbow Turnament, is the central part of the celebration for the “Estate Medievale Iglesiente”, that calls every year more then twenty thousand spectators.
Candelieri
Just in the middle of the summer, August 15th, the Candelieri celebration takes place in honour of Our Lady of Assumption. During the celebration of Bizantine origins, heavy, wooden candlesticks around four meters tall are carried around the old part of town. They represent the municipality and the four historical quarters (Santa Chiara, Di Mezzo, Castello and Fontana), the Guilds or the Mountain Gremio (offered by the miners), the Vignajuoli (winemakers), the handicraftsmen and the merchants. At the beginning of the precession, the candlesticks are taken inside the Cathedral to reaceive a candle each.
Holy Week
The Holy Week rites date back to the end of 1600 and the celebrations have been taking place uninterruptedly since then: on Tuesday the Mysteries precession, on Thursday that of Our Lady of Sorrow and on Friday the representation of Christ’s funeral. This last one, particularly evocative, is surely the most followed among them. On Sunday the meeting between Christ and the Virgin Mary and the next Tuesday the leave-taking. A paticularity is the presence of the baballottis, people wearing a white mask.
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