Tarquinia has chosen to celebrate Easter on the day of the Resurrection instead of the day of the Passion and therefore the feast takes on a joyful character with a procession of a great Risen Christ.
The Procession of the Risen Christ in Tarquinia celebrated on Easter Sunday is one of the most heartfelt festivals in the city and one of the traditional events of Tuscia.
It is also called the Procession of the Christ who Runs because, unlike the slow processions of the days of the Passion, it moves forward quickly and the music is a cheerful march.
The procession starts from the church of the Trinity (shaded Dante Alighieri) and runs along the streets of the historic centre to return to the church of the Trinity.
The large wooden statue of the Blessing Christ with its burial garments dates back to 1832 and a legend says that it was made by a person serving a life sentence. The sculptor would then be blinded by God to prevent him from making another equally beautiful one.
The statue is placed on a large procession carriage and carried on the shoulders by a confraternity between festive wings of people and with the music of the Band of Setaccioli.
The procession team opens with the riflemen with their guns loaded with blanks.
An original component of this procession is the cross bearers (one for each church in Tarquinia), the same as in the Friday procession (like the other extras), but now adorned with splendid garlands.
The bearers of the statue, as well as their colleagues with the trunks, must respect the pitch and beat of the musical march sung by the band.
The procession ends with the blessing of the crowd in Piazza Matteotti and finally with the deposition of the Christ inside the Church of San Giuseppe where he remains on display for the next forty days.
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