rites | protagonists | calendar of events | origins and meanings | curiosities
ORIGINS AND MEANING
Holy Week Rites in Iglesias date from the end of the 1600s, although their origins are lost in time. Many of the churches have vases (pots) full of earth, called Is Nenniris, which date from the 1600s. They have been sown with wheat or legumes. The seedlings are left to grow in the dark and are almost white. They symbolize the rising after death, and recall the myth of Adonis, which dates back to the Phoenician period.
The presence of the children representing Maddalena and San Giovanni probably dates back to pagan initiation rites.
However, the real meaning of this rite is clearly Christian. It is a sacred representation of the Passion and Death of Christ. The Spanish influence is clearly visible in the theatrics of this ritual.