Costa Blanca Magazine

ADVERTISEMENT

Easter on the Costa Blanca – The hidden customs of an ancient tradition

Easter on the Costa Blanca: the hidden customs of an ancient tradition

How processions, brotherhoods and rituals make Holy Week a unique experience.

While in many countries Easter is often reduced to chocolate eggs and family dinners, every year a large part of Spain and the Costa Blanca is transformed into a lively open-air theatre of deeply rooted traditions.

From Dénia to Villajoyosa, Semana Santa – Holy Week – unfolds in all its splendour: processions wind their way through the streets, ancient brotherhoods carry heavy statues of saints, and drums and wind instruments accompany the eerily solemn atmosphere. But what lies behind these rituals?

The brotherhoods – guardians of tradition
A central element of Easter celebrations are the Cofradías or Hermandades, religious brotherhoods deeply rooted in Spanish history. Their origins date back to the Middle Ages, when communities formed to perform charitable works, support the Church and publicly stage the Christian Passion.
Today, they are the organisers of the impressive processions that take place in many places during Holy Week. Their members, often dressed in long robes with pointed hoods (which have nothing to do with Ku Klux Klan symbolism, but represent penance and humility), carry large statues of saints on elaborate platforms called pasos.
These pasos often weigh several hundred kilograms, are carried on the shoulders of dozens of people, and have an almost magical effect on spectators.

The most important Easter customs and rituals
Holy Week follows a clear sequence with fixed rituals that have developed over centuries:
  • Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos): The ceremonial start
    Palm Sunday marks Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and is celebrated on the Costa Blanca with the Procesión de las Palmas. This event is particularly significant in Elche, as the city has the largest palm grove in Europe. Instead of simple palm fronds, many worshippers carry artistically woven white palms, some of which are over a metre high and decorated with filigree patterns – a craft that has been passed down from generation to generation.
  • Maundy Thursday & Good Friday: The quiet, impressive processions
    Holy Week reaches its climax on Maundy Thursday. In many cities, you can see impressive processions, in which world-famous sculptures, including works by Francisco Salzillo, are carried through the streets in some places.
  • Good Friday is probably the most emotional day of the week. Silent processions often pass through the cities at night, accompanied only by muffled drumbeats or choral singing. Particularly impressive is the Procession of Silence (Procesión del Silencio) in various coastal cities, where the crowd watches the procession pass by in absolute reverence.
  • Easter Sunday: The Resurrection and the great „Encuentro“
    After the sombre, solemn days, Easter Sunday brings a radiant highlight: the Resurrection Procession. In many places, two different processions – one carrying a statue of the risen Christ and one carrying the Virgin Mary – meet in a central square. This moving encuentro (reunion) is sometimes accompanied by applause or the throwing of flowers. The solemn, sombre mood of the previous days dissipates, and the joy of Christ's resurrection takes centre stage.

Easter culinary traditions – sweet temptations and family gatherings
In addition to religious celebrations, gastronomy also plays an important role. Anyone strolling through bakeries during Easter will not be able to miss the Mona de Pascua. This traditional Easter cake is a sweet yeast dough decorated with boiled eggs or chocolate. In the past, it was customary for godparents to give their godchildren a Mona – a custom that continues in many families to this day.
On Easter Monday in particular, it is traditional to enjoy the Mona de Pascua outdoors – often at a large family picnic on the beach or in the mountains.

Why Easter is so important in Spain
While Christmas is considered the most important Christian holiday in many countries, Easter has a completely different significance in Spain. Holy Week is not only a religious celebration, but also a deeply rooted cultural event that sets the rhythm of the country. Many towns and villages spend months preparing for this one week, brotherhoods work throughout the year to create the perfect processions, and the streets become the stage for a lively spectacle of devotion, art and tradition.

Easter on the Costa Blanca is more than just a religious festival – it is a cultural experience that uniquely combines history, art and community. Anyone who has experienced this time here will not forget it in a hurry.

Read also