Curious Celebrations for Semana Santa in Spain

Semana Santa in Spain is one of the most awaited weeks of the year, not only for the days off but also for its traditions and cultural activities. Semana Santa is a Christian celebration of Easter, with it's English translation being "holy week". There’s no city, town, or village in Spain that doesn’t celebrate Easter. Each place has its own unique festivities that can be both religious and artistic.

Every city in Spain has its own special way of celebrating Easter. You'll be delighted with their parades, called procesiones, in the middle of the streets. Robed figures and penitent worshipers make up these parades, wearing cloaks and hoods of all colors. No matter where you go, the whole town will be out in the streets to watch the procesiones and enjoy in the Easter activities. 

Finally, before reading about the best places to celebrate Semana Santa, you should know that Semana Santa takes place in spring and is often celebrated before or after the local feria. 

Top Celebrations for Semana Santa in Spain

El entierro de Genarín

On Jueves Santo, the people of León’s Barrio Húmedo hold the entierro de Genarí, which is the long and dramatic procession of a very particular character of León who loved drinking orujo and visiting brothels. This tradition started in the 1930s and is surrounded by drinking, singing and the reading of poems in the streets.

La Diablesa

In the province of Alicante, you will find the procession of Orihuela, in which people take out La Diablesa, a character that represents the devil. And it’s the only procession in the entire Spain that actually includes the devil in a procession during Semana Santa.

La captura de Judas

We traveled to Cabanillas, where on Domingo de Resurrección the people of Navarre stage the persecution and capture of Judas. They try to catch him to avenge what he did to Jesus. “Judas” is dressed in red pants, a silvery jacket and a very particular hat. He runs like crazy so that nobody can catch him, until the “Romans” finally get him and he receives his punishment.

Procesión de las Turbas

Early in the morning on Viernes Santo, in the city of Cuenca, you’ll find one of the most curious processions in the entire Spain. The turbos laugh their lungs out, reproducing the laughs and mockery of the Romans when Jesus was walking through the crowds. The turbos are dressed in the tunics of their particular brotherhood/sisterhood, carry fake homemade weapons and try to avoid Jesus’ path so that he cannot get to the end of the Paso de los Naranjos.

La Danza de la Muerte

In Girona, in the town of Verges, the people celebrate a very peculiar tradition, called Dansa de la Mort, on Jueves Santo. Ten skeletons dance and jump all over the place during the entire procession, and their shadows are reflected on the streets, so people know where they’re coming from. It’s an ancient ritual in which they worship the people who died in the peste negra (the Black Death).

There you have our list. If you're planning on celebrating Semana Santa, discover an equally notorious celebration that takes place in Spain called Feria. The Feria of Seville is the most popular. Learn everything about the ferias that take place in spring or summer in Andalucia by downloading the guide below: