One of the most original religious events of Holy Week is certainly that of the "Madonna who runs - che scappa" which takes place on Saturday night in Ausonia when the statue of the Madonna enters the church running.
Everything takes place during Holy Saturday Mass in the Church of Saint Michael Archangel. The celebrations begin in the dark with the first part commemorating the figure of the Dead Christ.
Then at midnight, when Christ rises again, the priest sings the song of Glory and opens the central door of the church.
At this point the lights come on and from the bottom 5 "bearers" begin to run holding up the statue of the Madonna and heading towards the altar where they place the statue that thus ideally meets the Risen Christ.
The joy of the Madonna for the resurrection of her son is represented by the dynamism of the bearers and their race towards the altar that emanates a festive event. The performance turns out to be very exciting and many faithful come from far away to share this moment.
In fact, a great liberating applause from all the faithful starts at the deposition of the statue on the altar. It is difficult indeed to remain indifferent to the race of the statue of the Madonna which, carried by the arms, seems to run on people's heads.
Legend has it that in this procession we must engage the best bearers since the dropping of the statue is considered a bad omen for the town.
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