In Godfather III, during the streetfest in Little Italy, several men representing the church are dressed in white robes and hoods- indistinguishable to WASPy American eyes like mine from Klansmen. Later men dressed the same way are seen in the Sicilian opera scenes (Cavalleria Rustica). Who are these guys and are they uniquely Italian-Sicilian in culture?
I know the Klan was anti-Catholic, but the robes are so similar that I wanted to research to see if the Catholic robes inspired the KKK robes (not that I think most Klansmen would use Italian designers, though on the other hand the Nazis did so you never can tell).
The costumes are associated with the Semana Santa in Spain (specifically, in Seville) and predated the KKK by a couple centuries, at least. I don’t recall the origin or meaning behind those specific costumes, though, or why they’d show up during an Italian cultural festival. Still, it’s a starting place.
The hood is, in Spanish, at least, called a “capriote”, and the hoods and robes are worn by Catholic penitents in religious proceedings. Here’s a picture of some in Seville, waiting to parade.
The hoods are so that the marchers can perform public penance while keeping a level of privacy. I’m pretty sure the robes are generally white because originally the groups were flagellants, and the white shows the blood from the self-flogging best, but that’s just from memory and I am willing to be corrected.
On an only marginally related note, my mother, who is a fan of both Spain and of fucking with people’s heads, has a large, antique poster advertising the Semana Santa festival hanging next to her front door. In it, a group of penitents in hoods and robes is clustered around an altar to the Virgin Mary, which is festooned with crucifixes and blazing candles. At first glance, it looks like nothing so much as a Klan rally and cross burning. On a second glance, the Spanish words and obvious Catholic imagery make it clear that it’s not about the KKK, but it’s always fun watching first time guests try to figure out exactly what sort of a household they’ve just walked into.