Taranto – History and Popular Culture                                                  
                                                             HOLY WEEK CELEBRATIONS

The Holy Week celebrations are perhaps the most important event to take place in Taranto. The rituals are similar to those in many cities across Spain, reflecting the long Spanish domination of southern Italy and are organised by confraternita, or brotherhoods, each one affiliated to a particular church in the city.
Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday when people exchange palm crosses, a symbol of peace and of Jesus arriving in Jerusalem. Palm Sunday is also the day in which the two main confraternità of Taranto meet:  that of the ‘Addolorata’ from the church of San Domenico in the old town, and that of ‘Carmine’ from the church of Madonna del Carmine in the new town. These two groups auction off the places in the processions and decide who will carry the statues. Throughout the week that follows masses take place in each church.
The processions take place on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
Maundy Thursday

• 3pm  Pilgrims known as perdune leave the church of Madonna del Carmine in pairs.
• Barefoot, they will visit the Holy Sepulchres set up in each church.
• 5pm  A special mass, In Coena Domini, is held throughout Taranto.

Midnight The procession of the Addolorata begins from the church of San Domenico. The solemnity of the occasion increases as the procession makes its way home the following afternoon.

Good Friday
6am  The perdune greet the participants of the Procession of the Addolorata.
5pm  The Procession of the Mysteries begins from the church of Madonna del Carmine.

Easter Saturday

• 7am The Procession of the Mysteries returns and finishes when the ‘troccolante’, or the staff bearer knocks on the door of the church.
  
   
• SAINT CATALDO’S DAY
  This annual festival takes place between the 8^th-10^th May and consists of a series of civic and religious cerimonies at the end of which the statue of Saint Cataldo, the patron saint of Taranto,  is taken from the cathedral to the sea. It then forms the central part of a procession of boats around the old town, accompanied by clerics, civic figures and fishermen.
• STELLA MARIS
  In this celebration a statue of the Virgin Mary, the patron saint of fishermen, travels by boat around the old town, accompanied by numerous floodlit fishing crafts.