The holy week in Spain is one of the most important holidays in the country, filled with solemn processions and age-old traditions. Locally known as the Pascua, Easter in Spain is celebrated with large floats carrying religious sculptures, singing in streets, and mile-long parades.
Spaniards take part in the ritualistic celebration, joining the processions and dressing up in traditional clothing. From conical hats covering the face, belted robes, and long dresses, locals can be spotted in decent clothing for a whole week. Wearing lipstick, mini skirts, and revealing clothing are forbidden, especially in Alicante city.
Learn about the most common traditions during the end of the Semana Santa. The celebration is unique, and locals follow a set of rules and traditions to set the devil on fire and celebrate the resurrection of Christ.
Here are the ten customs and traditions to know during Easter. From skeleton dances, music festivals, making balls of wax, and Easter treats, there’s a lot going on during this time of the year.
Easter in Spain: 10 Traditions and Customs to Know
Lob Pots, Pans, and Tableware from Windows
In the city of Valencia, locals are accustomed to throwing their old pots, pans, crockery, and jugs with water onto the streets to celebrate Trencà dels Perols. It is a celebration every Holy Saturday when people lob old items from the windows and balconies to signal the coming of the new crops.
Some people believe that throwing the pots and other items signal the arrival of Spring, and embodying the saying, ‘out with the old, in with the new.’ However, most locals do this to hope for new and better things coming their way as a replacement for the broken things.
Easter in Spain also celebrates a new life, welcoming the presence of Christ. Locals repent for their sins, and pray for a better year ahead.
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Set Prisoners Free in Malaga
In Spain, a series of Eastern pardons is practiced to set prisoners free on Easter Wednesday. It’s a long-standing tradition that dates back to the 16th century, under King Charles III. At that time, a group of prisoners escaped from a prison in Malaga, carrying the statue of Jesus through the streets. After the procession, these prisoners returned to their cells, which amazed the King.
Since then, Malaga celebrates the Easter Wednesday setting few prisoners free for the Jesùs El Rico procession. This tradition is frowned upon by locals in other regions, especially when high profile criminals are left on the loose. However, the authorities choose a few candidates to set free for the procession, and deny some candidates with severe offenses.
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Eating and Dancing in Streets
Despite the known solemn celebration of Easter in Spain, there’s also a fun element especially every Easter Sunday. Locals celebrate with the resurrection of Christ, dancing in the streets and enjoying delightful treats.
Locals gather around the plazas and dance to the music, while praising the name of Christ. Nighttime parades are common in some parts of the country, where a flock of world-class guitarists play and courses on flamenco guitars, so locals can dance and celebrate.
A great deal of food and drinks flood the streets, which is why Semana Santa is one of the busiest holidays in Spain. Even tourists enjoy the spectacles of Spanish cuisine, not limited to la andaluz, migas, torrijas, and pestiños. Drinks like sweet, fortified wines made with a blend of Pedro Ximénez and Moscatel grapes are considered holy grails.
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Feast of Garlic Soup and Fresh Seafood
Semana Santa is huge in Spain that many people from the cities come home to provinces to celebrate with their families. One of the common traditions during Easter is sharing a feast of garlic soup with baked egg and seafood.
The soup, locally known as the sopa de ajo, is a famous dish in the morning of Easter Friday. This is why locals say it’s officially holy week when the streets smell of garlic. Families also gather around the table, enjoying a fresh batch of seafood, from squid, prawns, crabs, cockles, and even lobster.
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Religious Music Performed in a Balcony
The streets may be overflowing with floats and ornate of any kind, and music breaks in every now and then from a balcony. Saetas or Spanish religious music with flamenco sounds, is usually performed in a balcony during a public procession.
The religious song evokes strong emotions, characterized by deep chants. This performance has evolved over the years, originally loud invocation of prayers addressed to Jesus. According to sources, the origin of Saetas can be linked to the synagogue chants of Jewish converts to showcase Christianity.
It was not until the 19th century when it became customary to sing the Saetas at the passing of a major procession during Easter in Spain. In Seville, the flamenco version is popular, especially in the La Macarena neighborhood.
Parade of Drums
The rhythmic beat of the drums accompanies sacred procession, but in the Hellín town of Albacete province, around 20,000 drummers gather and move around the streets. The annual drum festival happens every Easter, gathering a troop of brotherhood carrying drums in all shapes and sizes.
Madrid also hosts a La tamborrada on Easter Sunday, creating rhythmic sounds to commemorate Earth’s tremors when Christ died on the cross. A lot of locals gather in the streets to witness this big event, while participants wear their uniforms.
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Celebrating Religious Music Week
Solemn celebration and processions may be common during Easter in Spain, however, there are events that are fun and unique. In Cuenca, an annual religious music festival is celebrated to showcase the prestige of sacred music.
The Semana de Música Religiosa or SMR, is the fourth oldest music festival in the country, involving a large ensemble of choirs and orchestras. The tradition dates back to 1962, with performers recovering some of the old pieces and rare musical works. Religious music is performed by international orchestras and soloists, which create a magical atmosphere for attendees.
The venues for the festival are the old convent of Las Carmelitas, cathedral, and churches of San Miguel and Arcas.
Confradías Carrying Candles
Don’t be surprised when the procession involves a group of people wearing long, hooded outfits carrying candles. These are called Confradías or religious brotherhoods that walk in silence on the streets without any footwear. Most of the time, these groups are accompanied by women in black dresses and veil, carrying lit candles.
The sight may be weird for tourists, but for locals, people wearing robes with cone hats and hoods are common during the Holy Week. The capirote or cloaks and hoods symbolizes the Catholic penitent, and only members of the confraternity are allowed to wear them. In Spain, children receive their capirote after their first communion, as they enter the brotherhood.
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Burning of Judas Dolls
In Castilblanco de los Arroyos town in Seville, Holy Week is celebrated by setting juas or Judas dolls in fire. These dolls represent Judas Iscariot who betrayed Christ in the Bible. Every Easter in Spain, locals are seen throwing these dolls on air, tearing them apart, then burning them.
Some villages also hang huge Judas dolls in plazas, then set these on fire when the crowd cheers. It’s a known tradition in Seville, where these dolls are also manufactured. Locals believe that burning and destroying these dolls symbolizes leaving behind the negative sentiments of the past year.
Dressing Up as Skeletons
If the capirote procession is already eye-catching, people dressed as skeletons are on a different level. Every Holy Thursday in Verges, Girona, the dead roam around the streets while performing a dance. This tradition enacts Christ’s journey to Calvary, representing the cycle of life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection.
For tourists, this tradition gives off a Halloween vibe, as people are dressed in skeletons. The highlight of this procession is the Dance of the Death, when two adult characters bear the inscription Nemini Parco or death forgives no one. Two skeletons carry a dish with ashes, then others torch fire to illuminate the scene.
Visiting during Easter in Spain provides remarkable experiences, which are out of the common practices in other parts of the world. The parade of the skeleton also represents the final judgment after death, and locals pay for admission tickets just to watch the Dance of the Death.
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