Easter on the island of ischia is full of traditions to live in the open air among the squares of the typical mediterranean suburbs and to taste in the different locals that offer the unchanged Mediterranen kitchen.
The Madonna Addolorata
We feel the Easter air 17 days before the Easter Sunday with the trone of the beautiful and preciuous image of the Madonna dell'Addolorata who is venerated in the church of S. Sebastiano, situated in the centre of Forio. one week later, on Good Friday, sixth of Lent, the statue is moved to the streets of the country.
Actus Tragicus
The Passion that is masterfully represented by the Actus Tragicus Association, that since 1982 stages the Tragic Act of the Christ's death.
The service begins right outside the country, in P.le Colombo where in five scenes are represented: the Last Supper, with the institution of the Eucharist; the pray of the Olive Garden, where Jesus is betrayed by Judas, who will go to hitch up; the sentence of Sinedrio of the high priests, head by Caifa; the trial in front of Ponzio Pilato and finally the bloody flagellation after the service continues with the procession and the crucifixion in the Soccorso's square.
The Angel's Run
The Angel's run, carries out in Forio, from an ancient tradition of 1600. It's a holy representation that reproduces the moment of the meeting between the Madonna with her risen son. The manifestation is realized by Arciconfraternita of Forio, custodian of the four statues that are present in the procession, for tradition, always by the same families, for a no written law that hands down from father to son and often because of rows among different families for its demand. The statues represented during the procession are: the Madonna, the risen Christ, S. Giovanni Apostolo and the Angel. The first three statues were made by an able carpenter of Naples between 1746 and 1757, while the Angel was made by Vincenzo Mollica and fine-gold covered. At morning Easter, before the start of the procession, the Madonna, with a white veil on her face, and S. Giovanni are positioned at the crossroad of the main street of Forio. Christ and the Angel, ended the celebration, go in procession creating a small procession with the blue banner and the white ostrich plume, the cross of the confraternity and the clergy. When the chorus arrives near the fountain, made of voices of fishmen and people, looking up the risen Christ, singing the Regina Coeli, and in this way begins the service. The Angel makes for three times bows to the risen Christ and runs towards the Madonna to announce the resurrection of her son, arrived to the crossroad repeats the Regina Coeli, thanks to the peasantries and people, finally tha Angel makes a bow for three times to the Madonna and runs towards Christ. All this repeats for three times. In the last run, the Angel stopes under the bell tower of S. Maria di Loreto while the Madonna and S. Giovanni go along the street to get the Christ's statue. Halfway the Madonna leaves her veil, to represent the vision of the Son and all the street is full of flowers' petals with songs and applause. By tradition who wears the plume during the procession, has to bring down it for three times avoiding the plume 'makes land', in this way it had a right to wear the plume in the next procession. Finally the statues are taken into the church of S. Vito.
