Palm Sunday in a major event here in Alicante. A few weeks before Palm Sunday, the open markets are selling palms for the upcoming event. There are numerous vendors selling unique palms that are handcrafted with some very detailed and beautiful designs.
We bought two palms from the market in preparation for the procession that was on Sunday.
In Alicante Easter parades begin on Palm Sunday and continue daily until Easter Sunday. This is known as Holy Week and every day during that week there are procession parades that take place. They have different starting locations within the city and most pass through the main Avenue Rambia de Mendez Nunez. We headed out to watch one of the main processions which started at 11:30 am. There was a very large crowd of people gathered to watch the start of the procession. People in the procession carry large palms and the walk is very slow and deliberate with a live band playing music.
The procession starts with a single person at the from leading the process. They carry a symbol representing the procession.
There is music and a band playing a slow drum beat as the procession moves slowly forward.
There are hundreds of people who follow along in the procession carrying their palms. At the end of the procession is a single parade float with a religious representation on it.
The images above were from the first procession we saw. The second procession we saw was quite different. There were ladies dressed in black as if in mourning leading the procession.
There were people wearing blue and white cloaks and white hoods and they looked a little like the KKK. I have no idea what the hoods represent but it was a bit eerie to see. For us the white hood is a symbol of the KKK and represents evil and intolerance.
At the end of this procession there was also a float. This float was surrounded by people in white cloaks and hoods.
The processions last about 2 1/2 hours each and then there are other processions that start at 6pm and run into the evening. We stayed downtown after the processions and enjoyed the rest of the day. We took a walk out on the pier looking at the sea and then stopped for a relaxing drink.
Overall it was a very good day.
“Adios y que tenga un grand días”
Hey you two,
Your blog posts have been awesome!!
Amazingly two of them have brought back memories of scenes in the movie “The DaVinci Code”.
The priests in the robes looking like KKK are in one of the first scenes in the movie.
The Louvre museum is where the movie starts with the murder of Sofie’s Grandfather. The inverted glass pyramid is in the movie as well ….. the end of the movie indicates the Holy Grail (Mary’s Sarcophagus) is buried under it.
This is a great movie …….. you two are seeing some cool stuff.
Take care,
Neil
Hi, we will definitely have to rent the movie and watch it. I will take a picture if we find the holy grail,