Semana Santa in Spain
Semana Santa
Easter is one of the most important events of the year in Spain. This is a celebration to honour Jesus' ultimate sacrifice and spend time with your family.
What is Easter in Spain like?
In Spain, Easter is locally well-known as Semana Santa or Holy Week, and it's celebrated in every city, town and suburb. Each region has its own unique and beautiful age-old traditional fiestas.
During the Semana Santa, the streets are filled with constant drumming, and masses of flowery and quintessential art of religious sculpture combine to create an exhilarating atmosphere.
What do we do on Semana Santa?
The religious parades are an essential part of Semana Santa. These go on the whole week and consist of many spiritual brotherhoods parading through the streets dressed in vivid costumes with pointed hoods shaded their heads and faces.The Floats
The floats are a vital part of the religious process. They are massive, intricate and elaborate pieces of artwork that are characteristic of the statues of the Virgin Mary, Jesus on the cross and memorable events such as The Last Supper. During many processions, the floats are carried on the heads of men and women who hide underneath them.
Family meals
Easter Sunday is a similar time to Christmas. It is time for many Spanish to take this week as a holiday and often travel home for Easter, and a big meal is prepared and eaten together with family. A typical Easter meal contains seafood and sometimes a Sopa de Ajo (garlic soup) with an egg baked into the centre.What do we eat during Semana Santa?
When thinking about Easter, you might think of chocolate Easter eggs, but we have our Semana Santa treats such as Torrijas, which are like a Spanish style of French toast and are usually eaten around this time. Or small doughnut-like balls -Bueñuelos and Pestiños – crunchy fritters – are also considered Easter sweets.
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