Right after the long night procession in Verbicaro, I drove to Diamante, a beautiful village on the northern Tyrrhenian shore. There, I was greeted by the members of the Brotherhood who organise the fascinating procession of the “cordata dei pescatori”, a procession where the fishermen parade in line along a rope. After the frugal yet delicious lunch with the Brotherhood, the procession started.
The cordata leads the procession, which is closed by the statue of the Madonna Addolorata (the Lady of Sorrow). The front end of the cordata features the “tocche tocche”, wooden percussion instruments ranging from the small, played by children, to the huge, played by the Brotherhood members.
The tocche tocche produce a formidable sound that resonates vigorously in the alleys of Diamante and punctuate the slow gait of the procession, alternating with the moving passion songs sung by a male and a female choir. The cordata and tocche tocche’s powerful and pervasive sonic impact is also celebrated in one of the murals – for which Diamante is famous – that depicts a member of the Brotherhood playing the tocche tocche.
For an insider view of this year’s cordata, check this blog post (in Italian). https://framagu.wordpress.com/2023/04/08/diamante-il-venerdi-santo-e-la-cordata-senza-misteri/