Easter is coming and if you are thinking of a boat holiday during Holy Week we propose some destinations where the celebrations are very special!
The Easter period is perfect for a low cost sailing holiday, in fact many charter and boat rental companies offer discounts and promotions.
Here the link with the Easter offers of the Boatsandgo portal, the first comparator of rental boats.
Organizing a boat holiday to discover the rites and traditions of Easter is a unique opportunity during the year to learn about customs and celebrations, in Europe and in Italy, all to be discovered.
For believers, Easter marks the time of Christ's death and resurrection, religious services, family reunions and egg-based gastronomy are recurring throughout Europe, but so are celebrations that have their roots in paganism.
In many European countries bordering the Mediterranean, Easter is a very heartfelt holiday, in large cities as well as in small villages; and it is precisely in the smaller and less known cities that we can find the most bizarre manifestations, between the sacred and the profane.
The Easter period is perfect for a low cost sailing holiday, in fact many charter and boat rental companies offer discounts and promotions.
Let's see what are the ideal destinations for a boat holiday to discover the most curious customs!
Rocket battle in Chios, Greece.
The celebrations of Christian and Orthodox Easter in Greece are truly on fire, it is tradition to greet the resurrection of Christ, on Holy Saturday at midnight, with fireworks. But there is an island where this tradition is even more unique: we are talking about Chios.
In Chios, two neighboring parishes have been competing for centuries by firing on their respective bell towers! Until the end of the nineteenth century, even real cannons were used, but today they are used homemade rockets; shooting continues until one of the two contenders declares surrender.
The island, due to the uniqueness of this show, is very crowded on holidays and it is difficult to find accommodation, so it is a good idea to rent a boat in Chios, to get to know its beauties and witness the rocket war.
Semana Santa in Majorca, Spain.
A spectacle that is both frightening and exciting at the same time are the processions of penitents that take place throughout the island. Celebrations in Mallorca begin on Palm Sunday and continue throughout the week.
Locals and tourists watch the parades of the carapunat on the street, the hooded penitents who usually parade accompanied by music and carrying the statues of the saints in procession on heavy floats.
Among the most significant ceremonies in Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the island, is that of Crist de la Sang, on Holy Thursday. The parish brotherhoods with the characteristic conical hoods and penitential robes cross the streets in procession with the statue of the dead Christ and other saints at a slow pace.
In addition to the capital, there are also traditional festivals in other towns on the island such as in Pollenca, known for a moving ceremony on Good Friday: the Devallamento, or the deposition of Christ.
Spectacular Easter celebrations are also held in Sant Lorenc, Felantix and Artà.
Here the link with our advice for a Mallorca boat rental at Easter.
The 45 processions in Malaga, Spain
Malaga is certainly one of the cities that stand out for the particularity of their Easter celebrations and where you can think of a nice spring boat holiday.
Here the Semana Santa is certainly one of the most important cultural events, so much so that it has been declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in Spain.
An incredible number of solemn processions animate the week of Easter, 45 all characterized by the representation of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, including statues carried in procession and costumes rich in symbolism. Even if you are not religious, attending this show will be an experience to remember.
Renting a boat in Malaga at Easter? Here the link.
Re-enactments and bells in Malta.
The characteristic Easter reenactments in Malta, during Easter week, involve the whole island.
It begins on Thursday when statues and altars are covered in all churches with black drapes, the wash of the feet and the colorful Altars of Reposition are set up. Tradition has it that the Altars of seven churches must be visited before midnight.
On Friday the solemn processions and representations of the death of Jesus take place, the most impressive for the sets and costumes are those of Valletta, Zebbug and Mosta.
The day on Saturday is spent in silence waiting for the moment of the announcement of the Resurrection which is greeted by the sound of bells and songs.
On Easter Sunday the statues of the Risen One are carried in procession, the exteriors of the houses are decorated, confetti is thrown on the street and the children bring to the churches, for the blessing, the almond paste sweets with symbolic shapes.
Malta is a splendid island, a perfect destination to get to know by boat every month of the year: Baroque buildings, interesting churches (you can see two Caravaggio's), museums and above all unspoiled nature.
Renting a boat in Malta is easy and cheap, here our suggestions.
We talked about where to rent a boat at Easter to get to know Naples and the islands of the Gulf, here the link. But in the rest of Italy?
This is one of the most heartfelt holidays in the Peninsula and each region has its own rituals and traditions, here is where you can organize a boat holiday for Easter.
We start from Savona, in Liguria, where every year the Good Friday procession is organized by six Confraternities. The procession is divided into posts, stations marked by the cashiers who guide the wooden boxes of the brotherhoods. These are sculptural groups, true handcrafted works, which represent the mysteries of the Passion of Christ. Renting a boat in Savona will allow you to visit incredible places, such as San Fruttuoso or the Marine Protected Area of Portofino.
We move to Puglia, to Taranto, where the Procession of Forgiveness is held every year at Easter, a representation where the faithful are covered in white hoods and black hats as they parade barefoot through the streets of the historic center.
Renting a boat in Taranto for the Easter holidays will introduce you to the beauties of the Ionian Sea and the beautiful Taranto coast, away from crowded streets and from a privileged point of view.
Some of our suggestions here.
The Procession of the Mysteries in Trapani, Sicily, is considered one of the longest events in Italy, in fact it lasts for almost 24 hours. At 2 pm on Friday the Mysteries, depictions in wood, cork and fabric of the Passion and Death of Christ are carried in procession through the streets of the city and throughout the night. Each representation is carried on the shoulders by at least 10 men, called massari.
Renting a boat in Trapani allows you to get to know beautiful places, the Zingaro Reserve, San Vito lo Capo, Scopello and the ancient Tonnara, all fabulous destinations that can be reached in a few hours of navigation. And if you have more time you can think of taking a boat holiday to the Egadi Islands! A dream...
We leave you some suggestions here.
Translated by Biagio Vitolo
