During the Middle Ages, when the Catholic Church decided to present the story of the Passion of Christ in a way that people could understand, it understood the power of images and representation.
In this way the Holy Week and its celebrations And in the case of Spain, this precious moment for Christianity became part of the national tradition and culture, and hand in hand with the expansion of the empire, in that of a good part of the world. Today we'll see The best places to visit at Easter, in Spain.
Andalusia
In this case, the best places to experience Holy Week are Seville and Malaga. The party already began on Sunday April 2 and will end on April 9.
The processions and routes of the different brotherhoods are different from those of other cities since all of them, without exception, must cover the route from their point of departure (the church, the tinglao or the brotherhood house), doing the entire official route of Holy Week in Malaga, walking the main streets of the city, sometimes with places that are paid and where there are chairs and stands.
In fact, in these special places there are some 24 paid seats and they are usually occupied by authorities. We clarify this because due to the pandemic this new route was only done twice, in 2019 and in 2022. That with respect to the first leg, the return after taking the official route, is different but, obviously, they all end where they started. What is the official route?
- Plaza de la Constitución
- Larios Street
- Martinez, Atarazanas and Torregorda.
- Main Mall
- Plaza de la Marina
- Molina Lario
Where Molina Lario and the Bishop's Palace meet is where the official route ends and from where each brotherhood chooses its return route. The truth is that if you like these holidays and want to enjoy them comfortably and up close, it is best to buy the Easter subscription. Otherwise, you have to go out looking for the processions through the streets, so it is convenient to know them there, to find them in the best places.
If you want to have a map of the routes The Association of Brotherhoods of Malaga has already published a map where you can see the open spaces, with open visibility, of the route to do. As they have said this year, this unpaid space represents more than 40% of the route.
And how is Holy Week in Seville? The Easter festivities date back in this city to the XNUMXth century and the beginning of the XNUMXth, when the decree authorizing the brotherhoods to go to the cathedral to do penance was issued (before they did so in convents and temples). For its part, the history of the brotherhoods also dates back to that time, a little earlier, with the penance of the residents at the Cruz del Campo temple.
Well, as far as the 2023 they have already announced a great reform with changes of positions, itineraries and schedules and the celebration of a Holy Great Burial since the 775th anniversary of the Reconquest of the city by Fernando II the Saint is celebrated.
In Seville, 15 invited brotherhoods participate, the three of the San Gregorio corporation and 18 steps, in addition to the fact that there are fewer seats in the Official Race. It all started last Friday March 31, Friday of Sorrows, when the brotherhoods of the Sevillian neighborhoods began to take to the streets, and it will last until Sunday April 9, Easter Sunday, but there will be more news from Tuesday to early Friday morning.
The whole week will be a party and it's a great time to be in Seville. Special. Although the whole week is beautiful, for me the best moments begin on Holy Thursday, the day of the mantillas, of the historical brotherhoods: Los Negritos, Las Cigarreras, La Exaltación, El Valle... During the early morning you live the best moment of Holy Week in Seville, with six very different brotherhoods.
castle and lion
The ten days of Holy Week are very intense here and They are enjoyed both day and night. There are sights and sounds at all times and in every corner of cities and towns. This week is really a great time to visit this part of Spain, a window into very old traditions.
If we think internationally, the best places to visit during Holy Week in Castilla y León are Ávila, Medina del Campo, León, Medina de Rioseco, Palencia, Valladolid, Zamora and Salamanca, La Ronda and the Procession of the steps in León. At the national level they add Astorga, Ponferrada, Segovia, Burgos, Segovia and the Bajada del Ángel de Peñafiel, among others.
Zamora It is the smallest city of all, but it is also very famous for these parties. They have more León or Valladolid processions, but the ones in Zamora are older and the floats are designed by famous artists. The processions are daily, one in the afternoon and another at midnight, and the most familiar moment of all is Holy Thursday evening where there is a festive air, culminating with the "drunken procession" from 5 in the morning.
For its part, just to name another city, Holy Week in León is also interesting because its processionss. There is only one procession on Friday afternoon, but four on Saturday and five on Palm Sunday, four on Monday night, three on Tuesday, four on Wednesday and five on Thursday. Between midnight on Holy Thursday and the morning of Good Friday things change and more than a procession there is a "ronda" announcing the procession for the following morning.
Finally, en Castilla La Mancha, the Holy Week celebrations in Toledo are also impressive. If you are in Madrid you can take the train and arrive in half an hour, so you can go and come back. Here everything starts a little earlier and lasts about two weeks. In Toledo it begins eight days earlier than in the rest of Spain, although the largest processions do begin on Friday of Sorrows.
Visiting Castilla Y León on these dates is a great experience because In addition to religious festivals and processions, there is much more tourism on offer in terms of accommodation and gastronomic experiences. The program also works Opening of Monuments, organized jointly with the Board and the Diocese, which opens the doors of 356 monuments grouped into 16 thematic proposals.
The truth is that throughout the Christian world, Holy Week is a special time to be visiting, as we will witness centuries-old traditions and customs. Whether we are Christians or not, history is what is represented to us in each festival or procession. If not the history of Christ, true or not, the history of our peoples.