Holy Week in Spain----Unique!!
 

Spain has a long tradition of religious celebrations (although we are at present one of the most laicist and non-Christian countries in the world). During Holy Week, and also some days before it, there are religious processions all over Spain. The most famous are in Seville, Málaga, Zamora, Valladolid, etc, but even small towns celebrate in this peculiar way the death of Christ.

Here are some pictures of our Semana Santa http://www.20minutos.es/galeria/999/0/23/

if you google Semana Santa will find lots of pics about it.

By the way, for most of us is just another vacation period (in the BAsque Country, from WEd 19 to Mon 24 incl, not bad...)

Mikel, ours is a laicist society , sure (and I like it to be this way!!) but "non-christian" looks akward to me, I mean, it can be read we are budhists :P I think you wanted to say "non-religious" ;) which is absolutely true. Anyway, our traditions are for the most part of christian origin...like Holy Week or Christmas.

WOW WOW WOW! Awesome photos, mikelg! Thank you so much for posting these.

I was in Seville a few years ago for the entire week of Semana Santa. The days leading up to the processionals, we were able to visit the churches and see the floats.

On one particular day, we were standing near the entrance to one of the churches. It took them about a half hour to get the float out of the church, down the few steps, and turn the corner just to begin.

But watching the processionals was so beautiful and moving. Absolutely unforgetable.

Of course, kenderina, I did mean "non religious"...;)

Fantastic images !
However, I may cry now. I took 8 rolls of slide film of Semana Santa processions in Segovia, Salamanca and Avila only to have my camera bag and film stolen on Easter morning in Madrid. I always have wondered how good they may have been.

We'll be in Barcelona, arrive Good Friday, stay til the next Friday. What can you tell me about events there? Thanks!

Well, Good Friday is a holiday and in Catalonia Easter Monday is also a holiday. In Barcelona itself there are some processions but the most known celebrations in Catalunya are the "passions", theatre representations (big spectacle) of Christ's passion held in some villages where all the roles are played by people from the village. Some of them like Esparraguera or Olesa are famous.
Maybe you should ask at your hotel and they will probably have more info on events held in Barcelona.

Stunning photos, thank you so much for posting this link. Wow!

Hola mikel,
That's a nice 5 day holiday break that you have up there!

Thanks for the link to those really moving photos.

We'll be in Madrid on Wed.-Thurs., in Burgos for Good Friday (our first Semana Santa there) and in Logroño for Easter (another first Easter Sunday there for us). Just hope the weather stays nice so that we can take some really good pictures of the procesions.

It is not very good weather what the news are saying unfortunately..they say rain and chilly weather is coming from Wednesday. I hope they are wrong !

You really like Logroño, Maribel !!! What a shame I have never been there !

Hi kenderina,
Yep, sure do like it. We go there 2 or 3 times a year-a very pleasant, attractive, slow-paced provincial capital with friendly people.
(But the real attraction for us is the WINE!:-X )

Do you have processions every day or night during Semana Santa in Castellón?
(In Pamplona they're not every day).

There are several live representations of the Passion of Christ, all over Spain. In the Basque area there is one in Balmaseda, another one in Arkotxa and another in Berango, Lagrán,..., to my knowledge. They are very realistic, sometimes too realistic.

Maribel, I´ll be with my family near Madrid, in Gascones (www.lacasadelaluna.com), and plan to do some sightseeing in the sierra and will end up in Burgos on Sunday. Not sure about the weather, rain probably...

No,not every day, Maribel. In fact, only two days : Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Not big events, though. There is a passion representation in a village nearby , Borriol, which atracts a lot more people :) It's not held in a theatre..but in the village streets and it's really moving.

hi mikel,
Those apartments would be good for us to rent sometime. They're very well priced. We really like that area of the sierra norte too. I enjoy the nice walk down to the Ermita de San Frutos in the Parque de las Hoces del Duratón, right at the gorge-so beautiful. We'll be in the Pedraza environs the following weekend. Too bad our paths won't cross!
Hope we all don't have daily rain!

kenderina,
The only live Pasión I've ever seen was in Chinchón on Holy Saturday. I'm really not too familiar with your area at all, so maybe I should make more visits to the Comunitat Valenciana than to the Rioja. It's time to expand horizons. O:)

WOW! That is the most incredible set of images I have seen in a long time. Bravo!

More pictures, from yesterday´s procession of the Borriquito (little donkey) in Bilbao, Palm Sunday. You´ll notice that there are almost no images of saints ("pasos") in this procession.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1114398...7604139548403/

Mikelg,

Thanks so much, I am really enjoying your pictures.

Very nice, mikelg. Thanks so much for your continued posting of the pictures. I'm really enjoying them.

Hi, My daughter will be in Sevilla on Good Friday and in Madrid on Easter Sunday. Anywhere special she should be to enjoy the Spanish festivities regarding Easter? Thanks in advance

No doubt you´ll find a lot of info on Sevilla´s Holy Week, the most famous in Spain, something worth seeing once in your lifetime (too much people, though...)

Regarding Madrid, I reckon there won´t be any processions on Easter Sunday, as they finish on Friday.

too MANY people, sorry

We have spent many a Holy Week near Malaga and used to take the train in for the evening processions and they are so very memorable and moving. Also the week prior to enter the churches and view the large statues awaiting their viewing throughout the towns. Great memories and that is where pictures are so precious. Have a good one. Halfpint

zwho,
Your daughter will be able to see more processions than she can count on Good Friday in Seville. All she needs to do is to go out and join the crowds. We spent from late Maundy Thursday to Good Friday afternoon "chasing" processions, like the locals. They're impossible to miss-can't help but bump into them.

Jeff has done an excellent job of explaining the ritual of Semana Santa in Seville on his web page:

www.exploreseville.com

If your daughter isn't arriving in Madrid until Easter Sunday, she will miss the processions. There are 2 in Old Madrid on Saturday-

one at 8 am at the Plaza de Jesús and
another starting on Calle Arenal 13 at 5 pm

If she can make it, she might enjoy attending the solemn mass Easter Sunday at noon at the cathedral of La Almudena next to the Royal Palace.

Last, some images of the procession in the "red light district" of Bilbao, very popular and full of emotion. Hookers don´t work that night and are all on the street watching the procession march.

http://www.elcorreodigital.com/vizca...-20080318.html

(there is a short video showing this procession)

I accidentally posted this info on the US site first. But, I was in Barcelona during Holy Week 2008 and was surprised and disappointed that I was unable to attend a church service on Easter. We went to Sagrada Familia, got in the building, but the actual service was blocked off. At the Cathedral, only members with passes were allowed to enter during services. By then we had missed trying other churches. Just a note to those who might be planning a trip during that time. We had already visited the Sagrada, didn't intend the Easter service to be a tourist event, rather a religious event.