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26 Mar Easter in Spain

Posted at 16:10h in Living in Spain by

Easter is the biggest of all Spanish holidays. It is celebrated on the Costa del Sol and around the country with well-attended and magnificent processions in the streets. A kind of living “popular” passion drama, where there is still a queue for willing bearers of the religious thrones. The celebration of Easter Week – in Spanish Semana Santa – in Seville is considered by many to be the most magnificent in all of Spain. But Málaga is not far behind, and if you ask the people of Málaga, they have nothing to envy Seville.

Anyone who comes to Spain during Semana Santa simply cannot fail to notice this. Throughout Easter week, thousands of villages and towns stage fascinating religious street theatre every day, organised by special societies called “cofradías” – religious brotherhoods.

Competition is fierce among the members for the honor of being part of the procession carrying the valuable religious figures. Sometimes dozens of bearers of the heavy thrones with the various biblical figures are required. And there must be frequent breaks, which are determined by the leader of the bearer team, by ringing his bell. The heaviest figures on their thrones weigh 6 tons and are carried by 100 men.
Semana Santa begins on Palm Sunday, when people stand outside churches waiting for the Christ figure with large palm leaves in their hands.
The saddest procession is of course on Good Friday, when you hear a doomsday drumbeat and muted trumpets. A long procession of penitents in black robes and hoods gives an almost eerie impression to anyone experiencing the Spanish Easter tradition for the first time.
On Easter Sunday, the most hopeful procession takes place with blaring trumpets and a colorfully dressed Christ figure.
Along the procession route, crowds of people line the sidewalks, waiting for hours to catch a glimpse of the train, which is greeted with thunderous applause.
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