Easter in Spain is a time of great merry making followed by observance of varied Easter rituals. The Passion of Christ, or the Easter Week, is known in Spain as Semana Santa and is regarded as the most important festival in the country. Easter celebrations in Spain begin with the Domingo de Ramos as known in Spanish terms or Palm Sunday and ends with Lunes de Pascua or Easter Monday.
It is the time to commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus and is observed more as a religious festival. On Palm Sunday, parades are organized by various churches in Spain and instead of the small crosses made from part of a single palm frond that are popular in many Protestant churches, the congregations in Spain carry huge, leafy palm or olive branches that have been blessed in the church.
One of the major Easter customs in Spain is the observance of Corpus Christi especially in the cities of Toledo and Sitges where special celebrations are held. On this day, solemn morning procession bearing the Arfe demonstration passes through the major streets of the city. While, the Illescas noblemen dress in their traditional attire as the knights of the Holy Sepulchre, the Mozarabic knights, and Corpus Christi to evoke an ambience of the different medieval life style. The customary ritual of "La Patum" in Berga is actually a procession of giants, devils and monsters thronging to the streets to celebrate "corpus christi". Spanish Easter however greatly anticipates this occasion as a time of great family gathering hence special dishes like "La Mona" or Easter egg, pork sausage and calçots, hazelnut cream with pheasant ravioli truffles and Italian Easter bread are prepared in almost every Spanish household.
Huge festivities are held on this occasion in different parts of the country. The mixture of lights, loud sounds and wide celebrations create an atmosphere of joy and happiness in Spain. Since this time of the year is a holiday, majority of the Spanish citizens rush to the popular Easter holiday spots of Spain like the ancient architectural landmarks of the city of Cordoba, the scintillating Tapas bars of Granada and the beautiful surroundings of Basque Country.
Thus, Easter in Spain is more than just a religious celebration.
Christmas Carnivals offers you interesting insights on Easter in Spain.
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