For those of you who are new to the concept of Semana Santa, it’s The Holy Week in Spain. The week-long commemoration of Christ’s final days, therefore, takes place the week before Easter. It’s a historic tradition that dates back over 500 years. Some of the most famous Semana Santa celebrations take place in the capital city of the Costa del Sol, Malaga. So based on that, this is Economy Car Hire’s guide to Semana Santa in Malaga.
Visit vibrant Malaga
Unlike most cities in Andalucía, Malaga’s Semana Santa celebrations are not passive and quiet. In other cities you will find an understandably sombre feel to the commemoration of the Passion of Christ. However, in Malaga it is a livelier affair. The precessions are full of noise and jubilant celebrations. There is singing, applause and cheering that accompanies the lively precessions. This is not through disrespect, but it’s just a different form of expressing their faith.
Enjoy spectacular precessions
The main event of the week’s celebrations are the precessions through the city’s streets, which form part of one of Spain’s largest festivals. The parades are conducted by Catholic brotherhoods (cofradias) which are each attached to their own church. The cofradias that take part in the celebration have very distinctive costume. They dress in different coloured robes which are specific to their brotherhood and tall pointed hoods.
Along-side the striking image of hundreds of imposing brethren marching round the streets, the most spectacular processions involve huge ‘tronos’ or floats. Some of the floats are exquisitely ornate and are manually carried through the streets. Some of which are so big that it can take up to 250 people to carry them. The tronos often depict images of Christ or Maria and are sacred additions to the parades.
Observe floats by candlelight
As the floats precess through the streets they are accompanied by the strikingly dressed nazarenos (brethren) in their robe and hood combo. These are then followed by an extensive group of women dressed all in black and carrying a mesmerising amount of candles. The most impressive of all the processions takes place late at night. This is when the sheer volume of candles transforms the parade into a menacing spectacle that shouldn’t be missed.
In order to view the processions, seats can be booked along the main avenue, the Alameda Principal. These need to be reserved a long time in advance because the demand is so high.
So that you don’t miss anything, it is useful to get a programme of the events. These are published in the local papers and are in Spanish. What, you don’t speak Spanish? Well they’re well set out and relatively easy timetables to understand, even without a command of the language.
Escape the crowds
There are alternative types of entertainment on offer as well with some Passion plays put on, but these are less common and you will have to seek them out. However, they can make for a really different experience and are definitely worth the effort.
If celeb spotting is your thing then there is one famous actor who loves Semana Santa. Antonio Banderas was born in Malaga and is always in town for Holy week. He’ll be hard to spot though, as he takes part in the parades and wears the traditional costume, so his face is covered by the hood.
It is easy for the whole week to be understandably dictated by a religious festival, but if you want something a bit different then there are certainly still plenty of things to do. You can relax at the beach during the day, or visit the fortress and be back and ready for the evening’s festivities.
The Semana Santa festival is a unique spectacle and Malaga is a great place to watch it. So, if you’re looking to travel to Malaga this year, don’t forget to book your hire car so you can escape the crowds during the days.
