They were established by the besieged who had survived the Exodus and those who had escaped to Kalamos, then an English-occupied island opposite Mytikas in Aetoloakarnania. Initially, it was a mourning procession where it took place for the first time in 1830 and over the years it was organized by prominent personalities of Messolonghi, the municipal authority and from 1903 onwards, by the Greek State in collaboration with the Municipality of the Sacred City of Messolonghi every Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday.

With the urge to make an effort to include the central event, i.e. the mournful, memorial procession, in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory, we note that they are the most important annual event for the city and its inhabitants. There is a great participation, both in the organization of the events and in the procession itself, as well as in its attendance. The crowd prepares months in advance, with a massive influx of participants and spectators from other Greek cities, as well as from cities abroad. The celebration includes various cultural and artistic events, such as art and photography exhibitions, theatrical events, music recitals, traditional dances from all over Greece, tributes to Philhellenes and Greek fighters of the Revolution, speeches and educational activities for children, etc. On Lazarus Saturday night, the events culminate with the amazing and sacramental representation of the explosion of the elder Christos Kapsalis, inside the Sacred Cemetery of the Free Besieged, the Garden of Heroes. The procession is repeated on Palm Sunday.