A
Sepulcher assembled in the church of St. Anthony (S. Antuono) |
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| During
Lent, women and children put barley seeds inside clay jars
or wooden crosses, and then kept them in a dark, warm corner.
Frequent watering and the warmth of the spot made the barley
grow rapidly and acquire, because of the darkness, a yellow
green color, a symbol of suffering and death. |
| These
containers were then decked out with violets and colorful
ribbons and taken to church, where they were placed at the
foot of the Sepulcher altars (a symbolic reconstruction of
Christ’s tomb), amid a plethora of candles and oil lamps
(a metaphor for life, which continues and bursts forth on
Easter Sunday). |
| In
the church of the Immaculate Conception, it was customary
to have two men stand guard on either side of the Sepulcher;
furthermore, when on Good Friday the procession returned from
Mt. Calvary, the statues of Jesus deposed from the Cross and
that of the Lady of Sorrows were made to pause there. |
|
| On
Good Friday (especially in the evening), it was customary
to visit the Sepulcher altars set up in the various churches
and to meditate prayerfully for a few moments. |
| This
was also an occasion for meeting folks who spent most of the
year away on their farms and were normally unable to get together
more often. |
| Usually
the sacristan and other persons (generally, the neighborhood
women) put together the Sepulcher altar. It consisted of the
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament amid sheets of many colors.
Everyone contributed their best ones. |
| The
Sepulcher was disassembled on Holy Saturday, between afternoon
and evening, so the church could be prepared for the joy and
celebration of Easter. |
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