1st Place winner
La Desolata Procession
DESCRIPTION
La Desolata, one of the most poignant processions in the Christian world during Holy Week, in the village of Canosa di Puglia, Italy.The Desolata women cover their heads and hide their faces under a large black veil. Completely dressed in mourning black, they begin intoning the “Stabat Mater”, a 13th century, highly suggestive hymn, honoring the pain of Desolate Mary for the loss of Her Child, the ultimate suffering of any mother:
“…is there one who would not weep, whelmed in miseries so deep…”
They hold each other tightly along the path of the procession, giving their best in harrowing and lacerate singing, evoking grief and sorrow.
It is not their identity that counts, but their intense participation, all united by the universal pain to which every earthly mother joins that of Mary.
“…let me mingle tears with thee, mourning Him who mourned for me…”
The Procession of Sorrow goes far beyond tradition and folklore. It is an expression of faith and religious devotion, celebrating the incomparable feeling that exists between a mother and her child.
AUTHOR
Although a Civil Engineer in profession, I turned out as an amateur travel photographer having traveled to numerous countries around the world such as Ethiopia, India, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Cote d'Ivoire, China, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Mali, Benin, Haiti, Cuba etc. My main goal is to capture the uniqueness of the local cultures and the life of the people in the most remote places of our world, emphasizing on syncretism between rare religions and rituals. My pictures have been awarded multiple awards in many prestigious photo competitions and have been published in many books and magazines. 