From afar the first glimpse of the procession passing by with the famous ''gates to Palermo'' in the back this all seems
a bit overdone in daytime. It is only round 5 in the afternoon and people are already queing and blocking the road.
In the many churches in the centre of Palermo people gather to be together in prayer
occasionally seeing the priests in private conversation along the alleys of the
various and well ornamented smaller and larger ''houses of god'' that Palermo
is rich in.
Baroque, Rococo, - most of them are Catholic and there is a single protestant one.
Well that is what my friend and ''guide of the narrow streets of Palermo'' has to tell me.
He is proud to show the ''ugly'' parts of the city, where the poor and misfortuned ones
survive. He used to study around here and therefore knows a few faces we pass by while roaming around.
I have lost sense of direction as his meandering style takes us to at least 6 or 7 note worthy churches and a few memorable sites like fountains and statues.
But in this rapid pass I am missing out all the details of the artwork of the many places we seem to pass by in pits stops. This is not my speed or gearbox that I would choose if I had the options. As you can see; I do not have an option if I want to catch up with my fellow friends.
Windows and ceilings of this church that I simply will have to look up later on location and name-is of a completely different quality then others. All of them are splendid in their own right.
When we pass over the more filthy- yes you can see that about the streets of Palermo- they don't mind me saying- We meet up with the procession going crowds again- this time in narrow market streets.
But first we eat:
La
caponata di melanzane ( vegetarian dish of eggplant and olives among other veggies. )
this is really wonderfully tasteful- as most stews can be in the meditteranian tradition-
and secondly
Pane
con la milza - Bread and - yes- spleen meat of a cow...see photo below- has an ''acquired taste''.
Children - elderly - teenagers - all come together to stand and watch..
This scene is probably the essence of the atmosphere
Life simply goes on when the barer of the cross, the body of Chist and finally The Madonna pass by.
The Madonna and the coffin of Jesus Christ are carried by at least 15 men- I completely forgot to count them.
A brass band plays a march and all stop every now and then - lets say each 25 meters.
It is a tyring and everlasting repetition it seems.
It is played out in all the streets of Italy and here it is surely a spectacle.
As market vendours and clients continue their daily
give and take exchanges - butcher men keep on working as if nothing special at all just passed by their
stands and vitrines.
The body of Christ and the Lamb offering is in that respect ''part of everyday life'' and is indeletably linked
with all and everything- still today.
Am I missing something?
Our friend Daniele speeds up again as we try to
by pass all the crowds and get via a shortcut to the head of the procession in one of the mainstreets
a few hundred metres away from us.
Once again the open air dustbin atmosphere of the streets of Palermo is present as never before.
But I am getting all in the right place right time in the end by passing these gutters...to be honest I love it!
Now the daylight grows dim around us- it is the blue hour in the early evening.
This is a truly busy streets normally at this time and lines of hundreds of meters are backing up the carriers, extras, traffic control, maitres de ceremony..pedestrians and spectators of the procession.
One thing that I do not do is making an estimation of how long and how many people
this all is in its entirity..
one simple forgets and merges into the scene..that's it..
I loose my friends in the crowds..
I am at my best here..this is what I came for.
The guys carrying and the way they carry and protect their ''queen'' is my favorite image of the day. It shows it all.
Laatste reacties