"Night had just about fallen in Halq al-Wadi, also known as La Goulette, a balmy coastal suburb of Tunis, when the Virgin Mary emerged from the local church, Saint-Augustin and Saint Fidele, into a packed square. Carried on the shoulders of a dozen churchgoers, the statue of the Virgin was greeted with cheers, ululations and a passionately waved Tunisian flag. list of 3 itemsend of list Hundreds of people Tunisians, Europeans, and sub-Saharan Africans had gathered for the annual procession of Our Lady of Trapani."
"Many of those participating in the procession, and the Catholic Mass that came beforehand, were from sub-Saharan Africa. It's the Holy Virgin who has brought us all here today, Isaac Lusafu, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, told Al Jazeera. Today the Virgin Mary has united us all. In a large, packed square just beyond the church gates, the statue moved in a circle as people prayed and sang hymns."
"The Catholic feast of Our Lady of Trapani was brought to La Goulette in the late 1800s by Sicilian immigrants, in the days when the port town was a hub for poor southern European fishermen in search of a better life. Immigration to Tunisia from Sicily peaked in the early 20th century. Nearly all of the fishermen, along with their families and descendants, have now returned to European shores, but the statue of the Virgin remained"
La Goulette's annual Our Lady of Trapani procession draws hundreds of Tunisians, Europeans and sub-Saharan Africans who gather at Saint-Augustin and Saint Fidele church. The statue of the Virgin Mary is carried on the shoulders of churchgoers into a packed square where prayers, hymns and cheering accompany the circular procession. Many participants are migrants or descendants from sub-Saharan Africa. The feast originated with Sicilian immigrants in the late 1800s when the port hosted poor southern European fishermen; Sicilian immigration peaked in the early 20th century. Most fishermen and families have returned to Europe, but the statue remains and the August 15 procession continues.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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