On this spring day, the sacristy is transformed into a workshop. Children and adults alike are kept busy amid a constant hubbub. They chat and laugh, without ever losing sight of the palm models which, in the hands of the elders β possessors of a know-how to be transmitted β will become e crucettes, lucky charms that each will distribute to their loved ones. With rigour, patience and skill, small hands taper the light yellow leaves, a symbol of purity, before taking on the complicated task of braiding.
In just a few hours, more or less sophisticated crosses will have taken shape β alongside stars, fish, ears of corn and even pullezzule β impressive works of art. Tomorrow, as tradition dictates, these long and meticulous works will be blessed in order to accompany the ritualised marches of Holy Week a settimana santa, as we say in Corsica , starting with Palm Sunday.
Taking on the role of masters of ceremonies, the Corsican confraternities reveal themselves in their most beautiful habits! Braiding their palms, they prepare to conduct parish services and lead the processions until Easter Sunday.
Created in pursuit of solidarity and as protectors of local customs, as a form of spirituality, these groups of men or sometimes mixed groups have formed part of the Bastian religious landscape for centuries. To each his own district, dress codes, patronal feast and rituals, including the famous granitula! To be experienced from within, this nocturnal Holy Week march, practised in Erbalungo β on the side of Cap Corse and at the northern end of Bastia β traces the outline of the seashell of which it bears its name, rolling up to form a compact point, then unwinding while the confreres repeat the same chant.
Meanwhile, a cerca, another procession bringing together no less than four local confraternities, will take you from church to church through the hamlets of Brando, on a route spanning 14 km. And this is just a glimpse of everything to be discovered over eight days, both at the gates of the Bastia region and within the town walls! The tenebrae service, mysterious and striking, completes this journey β with the lights turned off.
