Read about the origin, history and celebration of Easter (Semana Santa) in Spain.
Fundoo Times: Festivals: Easter: Easter in Spain

Easter in Spain

Origin and History of Easter in Spain

The Kingdom of Spain, as it is officially known, is sited in the southwestern Europe. More than 75 percent of the Spanish are followers of Roman Catholicism. For this reason, all Christian festivals have a special place and are celebrated religiously and dedicatedly throughout the country. The holy festival of Easter commemorates the revivification of Jesus Christ after three days of His crucifixion. With this, Easter in Spain is a grand event marked with enormous fanfare and religious fervor. The celebrations are a week-long affair, named as Semana Santa (Easter Week). The festivities begin with Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) and conclude on Lunes de Pascua (Easter Monday). Festivities include a series of ancient rituals that are linked to the festival’s ancient religious history. However, one can find variations in different cities, with each one displaying its own accent of customs. However, what’s common is that all Spanish people portray life, color, culture, music, and dance with religious gist.

Local name: Semana Santa

Ways to celeberate Semana Santa in Spain

Easter celebrations continue for one full week in Spain, beginning from Domingo de Ramas (Palm Sunday). On this day, churches organize special parades to mark the arrival of Christ in Jerusalem. People carry huge, leafy palm or olive branches that have been blessed in the church during the Holy parade. One of the major Easter customs practiced in Spain is the observance of Corpus Christi (especially in the cities of Toledo and Sitges) during which a special convoy featuring noblemen in their traditional attire, such as the knights of the Holy Sepulchre, the Mozarabic knights, and Corpus Christi, is presented to evoke an ambiance of the different medieval lifestyles. In some villages, like Almaden de la Plata, dolls of famous people are torn apart, while in Castilblanco de los Arroyos, they set them to fire as these represent Judas or Juda dolls. In Malaga, the holy procession is carried out for miles, starting at 9 pm and lasting till early hours of the morning throughout the Easter week. The traditional Easter dishes of Spain are “La Mona” or Easter egg, pork sausage and calçots, torrijas, and pestihos. Easter is a jovial and euphoric celebration in Spain.