The Bread Arches of San Biagio Platani and Palm Sunday in Caccamo

During the period of Holy Easter, a deeply felt celebration in Sicily, many towns—especially in the inland areas—prepare to relive the moments of Christ’s Passion through local traditions and cultural practices. In some parts of Sicily, however, there are also other traditions, and we would like to reveal a couple of them.

San Biagio Platani is a small town in the province of Agrigento, where every year during the Easter period the main street is decorated with characteristic arches made using bamboo, willow, or agave canes. The two historic confraternities, the Signurara and the Madunnara, build these decorated arches enriched with “mosaics” made from very simple raw materials such as legumes, cereals, dates, pasta, and bread. These are true works of art, highly distinctive, which remain on display until they are rebuilt the following year.

The origins of the “Bread Arches”

But where does this tradition, passed down to the present day, come from?

It seems that as early as the 1700s, the Bread Arches were displayed during Easter celebrations to welcome the feudal lords who came to collect taxes and levies. Through the exhibition of these artistic masterpieces, “rich, precious but also simple and genuine”, the peasants, in addition to representing the victory of Christ over death, expressed their desire to rise from the poverty and hardship in which they lived, hoping for a more prosperous future.

Caccamo and Palm Sunday

Moving to the province of Palermo, another destination not to be missed is Caccamo, a medieval village with a millenary history, located on the slope of a gentle hill, the last offshoot of Mount San Calogero, just over 7 km from the Tyrrhenian coast of Termini Imerese. This village is still not a very touristy destination, but with its historic center and medieval castle it is certainly worth a stop during a stay in Sicily.

“U Signuruzzu a cavaddu”

Here, on Palm Sunday, the procession called “U’ Signuruzzu a cavaddu” takes place, a reenactment—likely of Byzantine origin—of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. Unlike many other processions, its originality lies in the fact that both Jesus and the 12 apostles are portrayed by children: a procession led by an altar boy who, riding a donkey, blesses the crowd and announces the coming of Christ on earth.

A long procession accompanied by a band crosses the entire historic center, stopping at five churches where the ringing of many bells can be heard (in the early 1900s Caccamo had 46 churches and 77 bells!), before reaching the square in front of the Mother Church, where all the palms are blessed.