Easter is a very important holiday in Spain and most people are off during the whole of Easter week (Semana Santa). Many Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On Ash Wednesday, people make a cross out of ashes and place it on their forehead. This is a way of asking God for forgiveness for their sins.
On Palm Sunday morning, most people attend mass in church. Children bring palm leaves and branches to be blessed by the priest. Sometimes these branches are decorated with sweets, glitter, or other types of decorations.
How Easter is celebrated around Spain
On Maundy Thursday, a special type of “Dance of Death” is performed in Verges, GironaThe rather unpleasant dance is performed by men dressed as skeletons late into the night.
Read about Swedish Easter celebrations and send Easter eggs online to someone you love.
Most Spanish cities organize large processions during both the day and night. Richly decorated “barges”, called tronos, are made and carried through the streets during the celebration. The task of decorating these tronos goes to the best craftsmen in each city and is considered a great honor. Some, historical tronos, are worth several million Euros due to their artistic value and the fact that they are decorated with so much silver and gold.
40-50 people carry these tronos through the streets, sometimes for up to 5 hours!
In southern Spain, Easter processions are often accompanied by drummer boys. In the village of Hellin, the sound of around 10,000 drums can be heard constantly between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday…
The most famous and largest Easter Carnival in Spain is held in SevilleEaster in general is hysterically big in Andalusia and it is celebrated frantically in both the capital Malaga such as the smaller villages and in popular holiday resorts such as Nerja.
Other Spanish towns known for their Easter celebrations are Salamanca, Samora, Valladolid, Murcia, Granada, Cartagena, Lorca and Cuenca.
It is usually slightly more expensive to fly to Spain during Easter, but here you will find some tips on where to find the cheapest flight tickets.
