Semana Santa

The Easter period in Spain is known as Semana Santa, or Holy Week, and events in many cities around the country truly last a whole week. In most of Spain, the bank holiday weekend goes from Thursday to Sunday, but some regions celebrate Easter Monday as well.

There are no Easter egg hunts and not much chocolate either (apart from the Catalonia region where, because of its proximity with France, chocolate eggs and figures are part of the traditions too). But for the rest of Spain, it's more about the religious side of the festival, filled with masses, processions and religious floats... Oh, and torrijas, we can't forget the torrijas!!!

Torrijas is the traditional dessert at Easter time. They’re slices of bread (normally leftover bread like baguette or ciabatta) soaked in milk, coated in egg and, thereafter, fried. Often comparted to French toast, you can add cinnamon, sugar or honey for a truly delicious bite.

 But coming back to the main celebrations, the religious processions are the main part of Semana Santa. These go on all week and consist of crowds of people parading through the streets in colourful (and peculiar) costumes, carrying huge floats, and mourning the death of Christ. Brass bands and drummers are also in accompaniment.

Some of the best and most elaborate religious processions can be seen in the Andalusian cities of Sevilla, Málaga and Granada, as well as in the Castilla y León cities of Zamora, Salamanca y Valladolid.

Many Spanish also take this week as holiday, either to go back home, visit family and friends or just take it as an opportunity to spend a few days away. It is not uncommon to find that many smaller, family run businesses are closed during this week.

Whether religious or not this is an amazing time to see and experience Spain’s deepest traditions and culture. And whereas this year it’s not possible to visit Spain at Easter time, we’re certainly going to make the most of it here in the UK by enjoying a few torrijas!

Have you ever been in Spain at Easter time?

Feliz Semana Santa - Happy Easter,

Cristina