The Holy Week processions in Mendrisio, a municipality in the Italian-speaking region of Ticino, are part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and set the stage for history. This 400-year-old tradition is a fascinating mixture of popular religiosity, mysticism, theatricality, and art. Citizens of all ages from Mendrisio participate in this special annual event that is deeply rooted in tradition but may perhaps seem anachronistic. But it is precisely the observance of a ritual handed down by the fathers to revive, every year, the unique spirit that you breathe through the ancient streets of the village, during the processions and on the days before them.
The processions take place on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Already at the beginning of Holy Week, the "Transparenti" are unfolded in the old town of Mendrisio, some of which date from the 17th/18th century. They are 100 diagrams on transparent material. They show motifs from the Passion of Christ. Starting on the evening of Maundy Thursday, they are illuminated from the inside with lanterns. The historical parade in this special atmosphere consists of an actual play with around 200 characters. The performance is the Passion and the condemnation of Christ to death on the cross. The performers are lay people wearing costumes acquired by La Scala in Milan in 1898. For this reason, the event will be canceled in the event of rain.
On Good Friday, this year on April 18, about 700 people take part in the procession, at the center of which are the baroque figures that are carried along. If you would like to experience this unmissable and unique event, make your way to the Centro Storico in Mendrisio and watch history become a spectacle that perpetuates traditions.

Website
processionimendrisio.ch/en/

Where
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
Piazzetta dei Serviti
6850 Mendrisio

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