Passione by BANDA IONICA

Dawn has just broken. In a few minutes the slow and solemn procession of the Mysteries will begin from the hill of the Abbazia of San Michele Arcangelo. As the band plays the first few notes, an uncontrollable emotion lines the faces of thousands of devotees with tears. Tears not only of sorrow and mourning for the Passion of Christ, but anguish, knots of anxiety that are loosening up even in those who are not religious. The procession will last for at least four hours along the narrow streets of the town. The accompaniment, and affection, created by the band, is indispensable in helping the mourners abandon themselves to the journey, to not feel the tiredness, to experience death as a positive mystery. This event takes place on Good Friday every year in Procida, as do similar processions in a multitude of towns in the south of Italy. It is a moment of collective truth and the community is not ashamed to show its weaknesses and frustrations. Everyone can let out their tears, vent their tension, forget their troubles and actually experience beneficial effects. Death, though present in every gaze, every movement and in the statues of the Pietà and the Madonna dell’Addolorata (Our Lady of the Distressed), is received and regenerated. On this holy day the band music fills the empty spaces, covers the noise, nurtures and protects the souls of the crowd.