Semana Santa (or Holy Week) is the week beginning on Palm Sunday and ending on Easter Sunday. In Spain, the devout processions and celebrations take place almost every day. During this period, life revolves around the festivities and normal business takes a back seat. If you are traveling to Spain during this time, remember this as hotel prices will be higher and rooms will be difficult to find, particularly in cities such as Seville and Valencia. 

On Palm Sunday, the procession of the palm fronds and olive branches proceeded along the main street of Benalmadena (photo above). Residents joined the procession as it progressed through town toward the church with t h e o li v e b r anches being divided and shared among all.

Sunday afternoon was the first of the processions of the thrones or tronos. On this first day, there is one trono for both Christ and the Virgin (photo left). Locals from the pueblo join in the procession which is led by a local drum and bugle corps. There is much fanfare as the procession marches through the central square, then follows a route through the village.

Monday evening saw the first of the nighttime processions with the children of the village carrying miniature-sized versions of the tronos. On Tuesday night we saw the first of the huge tronos, one representing Christ (photo, right) and one representing the Virgin. Each of these is led by members of the brotherhood within the church. The men in the white gowns and pointed caps (photo, right) are the penitents for Christ, hooded to protect their identity. There is also a group of penitents for the Virgin. Each brotherhood wears a different colored gown and hat to identify them.

Wednesday there was a small procession in the morning, this time by the women of the village, carrying their own tronos. Wednesday was also the last day any real work got done as most of the shops were closed on Thursday and Friday.

Thursday appeared to be the highlight of the processions with the largest and most elaborate tronos. The trono of Christ required 36 men to carry it and the trono of the Virgin required 45 men. As you can see in the photo at left, the people thronged around the trono as it proceeded through the narrow streets of the village. The men carrying the tronos require regular rests so there is a bell on the front of the trono which is rung to indicate when they can rest. This is all very well choreographed as it requires great teamwork to lift, carry, and set down these huge tronos. Also, each of the processions takes up to 3 hours and the routes are hilly, so many rests are needed!

Friday night’s tronos portrayed a lifeless Christ and a weeping Virgin. The night’s procession was a bit more somber than the previous days’ processions. Saturday was a day of rest and reflection.

Sunday morning after mass the procession left the church, representing a resurrected Christ (photo, right) and a bright sunny day made it truly seem a celebration.

We thoroughly enjoyed begin able to take part in this bit of local tradition in a small pueblo. In the larger cities, the tronos are twice the size, are hugely elaborate and require twice the manpower to carry them. However, the crowds are so large it is sometimes difficult to get a view of what is going on. We saw many of these on TV during the week as nearby Malaga has an exquisite procession and Seville is renown for its processions.

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