On March 28 and 29, the Ticino town of Mendrisio hosts the only Catholic Easter processions in Switzerland. A tradition listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. And a show that triggers controversy at a time when wearing black faces for white extras is no longer a given.
“To death, to death!” Merciless, the Roman soldiers whip him with branches while children carry nails and hammers. Bearded, in his thirties as he should be, Jesus painfully crosses the streets of Mendrisio carrying his large wooden cross. Trumpets, drums and horse hooves make the cobblestones of the Borgo tremble. Yes, this Thursday, March 28, 2024 from 8:45 p.m., Jesus is (also) in Ticino: to follow or watch pass by on the occasion of the Funziun di Giüdee, the procession of the Jews, in Mendrisiotto patois.
With its two hundred and fifty characters including forty riders, it is the only Catholic Easter procession on Swiss territory. A tradition that dates back at least to the 18th century. Older still and scheduled for the next day, Friday March 29, in these same streets and at the same time, the Entierro (meaning the funeral, in Castilian) will bring together nearly seven hundred costumed extras including four hundred and fifty trasparenti bearers, kinds of large lanterns with religious motifs. As much as the first procession is noisy and theatrical, the second is serious and collected.
Replay the Passion of Christ
Almost everyone in Mendrisio has taken part in the processions at least once, from the youngest to the oldest, and the event draws the crowd. It is the Mendrisio Foundation for Historical Processions that is responsible for the organization, casting and staging of these two processions reenacting the Passion of Christ. Yes, directed, with direction from actresses and actors, because it is indeed a form of XXL street theater of a religious nature.
Each character has their own sheet describing their physique, their role and their performance. In 1898, the year of the official centenary of the Funziun di Giüdee, the costumes, weapons and other helmets were ordered from La Scala in Milan. Some accessories are still in use today. And if the next day, the procession bears a name from beyond the Pyrenees, this perhaps comes from the fact that in the 17th century, in the midst of the Counter-Reformation, Spanish theater troupes traveled across Catholic Europe to perform plays. passions and warm the ardor of Christians who remained deaf to the calls of Luther and Calvin.
A tradition registered with UNESCO
In this perfectly oiled organization and now listed as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, everything should (de)flow straight according to an immutable ritual. Except that current social debates have found their way into the crucifixion.
Among the extras, there is in fact I Mori, the Moors, characters from the court of Herod, the king of Judea. Mori embodied by citizens of Mendrisio whose faces are painted black polish every year. Last month, keen to bring the event into line with developments in society, the Foundation announced the end of this makeup to avoid being accused of advocating blackface. This disguise of whites as blacks, the use of which across the Atlantic evokes the racial segregation of African-Americans and recalls here in Europe the time of the colonies and racism “there’s good Banania”.
Outcry in Ticino
Missed. With its decision taken without much consultation, the Foundation caused an uproar throughout Ticino. She finally decided… not to decide anything. This year again, the Mori will have their faces painted. But promised, a major consultation to come after the processions should make it possible to better explain the motivations of the Foundation, keen to preserve a historical heritage while not damaging the international reputation of these processions, now well integrated into the tourist offer of the transalpine canton. .
Note that processions have already evolved throughout their history. Previously, it was the real false Jews who had been judged by the authorities to be too unchristian and not decent enough to be allowed to walk the streets of Mendrisio before nightfall.
Thierry Sartoretti/mh
Easter processions, Mendrisio (TI), March 28 and 29, 2024.