As reported in the sixth chapter of the ancient statutory rules, the organization of Holy Week in Pulsano belongs to the Archconfraternity of Purgatory founded in the year 1687 under the title of Virgin of Mount Carmel. On the morning of Palm Sunday, the confreres and sisters, together with the local clergy and members of the confraternity of Holy Sacrament, form a long procession from Piazza Marconi to the main church carrying an olive branch in memory of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, where the gospel reading of the Passion of Christ takes place.
From the afternoon of Holy Thursday until the early hours of the next morning, pairs of confreres (called perduni in the Pulsano dialect), barefoot and with their faces covered as a sign of penance, proceed silently swaying slowly from left to right (swaying, in the Pulsano dialect) from the confraternity headquarters to the main church to adore Jesus Eucharist placed on the reposition altar set up in the large chapel of the right nave. The perduni wear a black scapular embroidered with the words "Decor Carmeli" in blue, a sack and a white fabric hood, a cream-colored mozzetta with fourteen buttons, a metal medallion with the effigy of the Virgin of Carmel, and a dark brown hat. During the pilgrimage, the pairs of perduni crossing paths on the main street tap each other on the back with a cord, kneel, and greet each other, this gesture of reverence is called “salÄ’m ῾alaikâ€, from the Arabic word wishing peace and praise to God.
At 5 p.m. on Good Friday, a long and slow procession lasting at least sixteen hours departs from the confraternity chapel, composed of eight life-size statues representing Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus scourged at the pillar, the Ecce Homo (affectionately nicknamed Christ at the loggia), Jesus falling on the way to Calvary, the Crucifix, the Holy Shroud, Dead Christ, and the Sorrowful Virgin. Each symbol is carried by the confreres in elegant dark attire. They are called fork-bearers, from the wooden shaft ending with a fork with which they support themselves during their swaying and which they hold in their hands. The procession is opened by a barefoot and hooded perdunu called troccolante who, by shaking a wooden instrument with metal hooks (la troccola), rhythmically marks the procession alternately with the bands playing mournful funeral marches. The troccolante is followed by two other perduni who respectively carry the black banner of the confraternity and a cross with the symbols of the Passion mentioned in the Gospels.
The statue of Dead Christ is escorted by two Carabinieri in full uniform and four men wearing dark cloaks selected from citizens who have particularly distinguished themselves over the years for their good deeds towards others. The Sorrowful Virgin, on the other hand, is accompanied by some sisters dressed in mourning with a black veil on their heads and a lit candle in their hands. In the early evening, the procession stops at the main church: as each symbol enters, the faithful listen to a sermon. Particularly moving and anticipated is the entrance into the church of the effigies of the Dead Christ and the Sorrowful Virgin because the lights are completely turned off and the music and singing of “O quanto amore†and “Stabat Mater†are performed, respectively.
The assignment of the statues to the carriers occurs through a voluntary financial offer presented in a closed-door meeting. The proceeds are usually destined for charitable works or for restoration and maintenance projects concerning the sacred buildings and furnishings of the town.
