Fremantlebiz - Paul's Letter from Australia

Cultural richness in Fremantle - a festival for the Black Madonna of Tindari

We folk watched a public religious procession wind it's way through Fremantle last Sunday afternoon. Sicilian Catholics were celebrating the port's 13th anniversary of honouring the Black Madonna, Maria Santissima del Tindari.

The ceremony has its origins in the folk traditions of Tindari, which is near Messina at the eastern end of Sicily. I've read that around the 7th century a ship carrying a Madonna bruna, or black Madonna was forced ashore by a storm. There is a sheltering lagoon at Tindari. The exhausted sailors entrusted the care of their cargo to the monks of a sanctuary overlooking the lagoon.

There has been much turmoil for the region during ensuing centuries. The original monastery was sacked by pirates and the original Madonna lost. But the legends prevailed and a new Madonna bruna was crowned in 1940. The statue also has a black baby Jesus.

Tindari is still a place of sacred pilgrimage for Catholics. One of the legends involves a woman who refused to acknowledge the statue because of the colour. Then when her own baby was accidentally dropped in the sea and miraculously rescued, she abandoned her prejudice.

The Fremantle Sicilians have their own sacred version of the Madonna, replete with a black baby Jesus. It's normally kept within the precinct of Saint Patrick's Basilica at the eastern end of town. Every September the streets are blocked off and it's carried through the port to the Fremantle Esplanade, which is adjacent to the Fishing Boat Harbour.

At the start yesterday, the faithful congregated in the Basilica, then the Madonna was carried by its stewards to Adelaide Street in front of the church. When everyone was assembled at their respective places for the procession, a very loud single firework was exploded. It sounded like a full stick of gelignite.

I'm not sure of the reason for this. The single explosion may simply be to wake the sleepy port. Loud fireworks have long had a role in another Catholic event in Fremantle known as the Blessing of the Fleet. That will be next month on Sunday 26 October - the 60th anniversary for it in Freo. It has its inspiration from fisher populations at Capo D'Orlando, Sicily and Molfetta, Italy. The occasion attracts a much larger crowd than the Black Madonna procession.

I had a good view last Sunday's affair and was easily able to move along with my family to various vantage points for some photos as the procession meandered through the streets towards the waterfront.

The Madonna appeared very heavy, so periodically the procession paused while the porters were alternated. They carried props for the changeover to ensure there was not an embarrassing accident. Some of the grim faced young men in dark glasses on this task looked like hit-men from The Godfather. Actually many people taking part in the procession looked a bit serious.

The Madonna was preceded by priests and women in dressed Sicilian folk costumes. They carried baskets of flowers a large symbolic Rosary. There were also men dressed as Italian Carabinieri escorts and young boys where what appeared to be Australian police uniforms. Oh, and the Victoria Park Brass Band provided some music.

In Marine Terrace the procession halted completely and all the participants turned right to face the grassed Esplanade and the Fishing Boat Harbour beyond. This was the cue for a very loud cannonade of exploding fireworks to be shot into the air. They are always so loud they can easily be heard from our house four kilometres to the east, but on Sunday we were right beneath them and I needed to put my fingers to my ears.

The symbolism of the fireworks in Fremantle is not clear to bystanders like me, but I'm aware that in other parts of the world they can imply a divine relationship to the miraculous conception. When the fireworks ceased, the procession resumed its journey back to Saint Patrick's Basilica for a Benediction service. I believe the faithful indulge in some celebratory feasting at the end of the day. Click here - I've put a folio of Black Madonna pictures on my Picasa site.

© MMVIII Paul R. Weaver.

Click here to visit 'dogandcatwatcher', my YouTube website.

Original still photographs are stored online in a cache at my Panoramio website or my Picasa site. Most of them have a brief description and a link back to a relevant essay. Images on Panoramio can usually be enlarged several times by clicking them.

About the writer

Click here to see our backyard.

Check out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21st century Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to write at least couple of million words. Zzzzzzzz!

Advertisement