Apr 12, 2025
Holy Week is the most important Christian festival in Spain. Every year during Holy Week, Christians remember episodes from the life of Jesus, including the Passion of Christ and the Resurrection of Jesus..
Easter is celebrated in spring, shortly after the vernal equinox. In Spain it usually falls in the last weeks of March and the first days of April.
However, the exact dates may change from year to year. Since Easter is calculated according to the Gregorian calendar and the full moon, it is considered a floating holiday..
The Holy Week processions in Spain begin on Palm Sunday and last all week and end on Easter Sunday..
During Holy Week, the Resurrection of Jesus is celebrated with colourful events, including floats and processions..
Every day during Holy Week, processions are held all over Spain. Each region of Spain organises processions during this week with the typical characteristics, traditions and history of that region..
During Holy Week processions in Spain, people carry wooden sculptures called pasos through the main streets. These steps represent famous sculptural icons depicting the Passion of Christ..
Religious brotherhoods play an important role in Holy Week masses. You may see a group of people dressed identically and carrying thrones or steps. They usually wear bright, colourful silk costumes and pointed headdresses. They are known as cofradías religiosas or "fraternidades" in Spanish..
Symbols of Easter
The Easter egg symbolises the resurrection of Christ and is often chosen as one of the attributes of the festivity. In Murcia, hard-boiled eggs are handed out during parades, used as decoration or even added to the best dishes of the festivities..
In Spain, such well-known symbols as the Easter bunny and chickens are not very popular... The truth is that Spanish Holy Week is more of a religious and spiritual holiday than a festive one. However, almost all Spaniards participate in gatherings and events, mainly to pray and honour the memory of Christ..
The last day of Holy Week, Easter Sunday in Spain, is mostly spent with family and loved ones. In some regions of Spain people attend Easter morning masses. When they return home, they gather around the table to enjoy traditional Easter dishes, especially the famous Mona de Pasqua..
The most traditional dishes of Holy Week
The most traditional Easter dishes in Spain are the famous Mona de Pascua, Torrijas and Buñuelos. But there are also additional dishes, such as garlic soup or fried Easter flowers..
The famous chocolate Easter egg in Spain is called Huevos de Pascua. This is one of the main desserts of the holiday. These egg-shaped chocolates are made in special moulds and filled with sweets and candies..
Mona de Pascua is an essential dish at Easter dinner. It is a traditional Easter cake, especially popular in Catalonia, Valencia and Murcia. Mona de Pasqua is usually baked as a ring-shaped sweet bread, decorated with whole eggs on top or in the centre. In some places it may be covered with chocolate, sprinkles or sweets..
Buñuelos are small, irregularly shaped fried pancakes. Buñuelos are a must-have dish not only during Holy Week, but also during other Spanish holidays, especially in Valencia..
Sopa de ajo, also known as garlic soup, is usually eaten on Good Friday morning during Holy Week in Spain. Sometimes the soup is made with chicken broth, paprika and eggs. It tastes even better when served with croutons.
Torrijas is another Easter dish served during Easter Week. There are some differences depending on the region, such as the frying method or the ingredients. In some regions of Spain, such as Seville, wine is used instead of milk, which makes a notable difference..
Fried poinsettias are also a very interesting dish. It is surprisingly popular in Castilla y León and is very similar to the Calatrava cross. It is also one of the most delicious snacks to try during Holy Week in Spain..
Six of the most vivid traditions of the Holy Week celebration
In León, Verges, Seville, Valencia and Valverde de la Vera, Teruel, some of the most impressive folkloric and religious customs in Spain are celebrated during these dates..
Henarin's Funeral (León, Castilla y León)
The funeral of Genarin is a procession, but unlike the usual ones of the time, it is pagan and, in fact, interesting to watch, as it parodies some religious scenes. Stroll through the old town on the night of Maundy Thursday to pay homage to Genaro Blanco, a man who, according to legend, was known to be an avid drinker of undistilled orujo (grape marc)..
The tradition began a year after his death, in 1930, when four men decided to pay tribute to him by reciting poetry and drinking wine and orujo. The procession begins at 1 a.m. with a welcoming speech by the superior of the brotherhood and a glass of wine and ends with the final offering to the saint, which is, of course, a large glass of wine..
Dance of Death (Verges, Catalonia)
This tradition, which dates back to the early Middle Ages, is celebrated in the town of Verges (Girona) on Maundy Thursday in memory of the Passion of Christ. Throughout the procession, dramatisations such as "The Three Marys and the Women of Jerusalem", "The Crucifixion" and "The Dance of Death" are performed.”
In the latter case, five dancers take to the streets dressed as skeletons to perform a "dance of death" to the sound of a drum. The "captain" opens the dance with his scythe, the "standard bearer" carries a black flag, accompanied by two other skeletons carrying plates of ashes, and finally a skeleton carrying a watch closes the procession, symbolising the arrival of death..
La Madruga (Sevilla, Andalucía)
Holy Week has been celebrated in Seville since the 16th century and is famous throughout the world for its beautiful processions. Among the more than fifty processions that take place during the week in Seville, the most impressive one takes place in Madruga, on the night between Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, when the pasos of six brotherhoods take part in the procession: El Silencio, El Gran Poder, La Macarena, El Calvario, Esperanza de Triana and Los Gitanos..
On this night, more than ten thousand Nazarenes parade through the streets of the Andalusian capital, and thousands of Sevillians and visitors to the city experience moments of devotion and emotion, accompanied by the singing of saetas to Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary..
Trencà of pots (Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana)
In the Valencian Community there is a very peculiar local tradition: throwing objects into the street. During the Easter Vigil, the Marcha de los Perols takes place in the Grau, Canyamelar and Cabanyal neighbourhoods, coinciding with the start of the procession of the Gloria. At midnight, the neighbours throw glasses, plates, old crockery and water from their balconies, and at that time the church bells ring..
In this way they celebrate the resurrection of Christ by putting aside the old to make room for the new, that is, leaving behind the bad to welcome the good..
Empalaos (Valverde de la Vera, Extremadura)
In the province of Cáceres, and more specifically in the town of Valverde de la Vera, takes place one of the most impressive processions in the world..
At midnight on Maundy Thursday, the procession of the Empalaos takes place through the streets of the city, a terrifying and impressive ritual whose history dates back to the 16th century. It features several men walking through the streets of a city, their torsos and arms tied with strong ropes to a horizontal cross-shaped pole, and dressed in unique clothing including a veil and a crown of thorns, performing an act of spiritual repentance, driven by a promise to God..
Drums of Calanda
In honour of Easter Week in Teruel, nine cities move to the rhythm of the drums. The drums of Calanda are the most famous in the country. They begin to sound on Maundy Thursday and continue until midday on Holy Saturday..
The moment the drums begin to play is called "rompida."
It is undoubtedly a spectacular spectacle for all those who decide to visit the city of Teruel during Holy Week..