Semana Santa week in Alicante is full of activities and parades. We participated and enjoyed some of the activities during the Semana Santa.
Procession on the Promenade
We went for a walk down the promenade and came to the procession also known as “penance procession” which was underway. We stopped and watched some of the procession including the Nazarenes dressed in their traditional “Vesta”.
The history of the Nazarenes dates back to the 16th century. They are members of a brotherhood who do penance during Semana Santa. Their faces are covered for mourning and the colourful clothing represents the cloak that Jesus wore when he was being lead to be crucified.
The floats or “pasos” which can weight in excess of 500 kgs. (1000 lbs) are carried by people dressed in white hooded gowns. These gowns cover their faces in mourning and represent the shame of sinners for the sins they committed.
The procession was interesting and we watched it for approximately an hour before we left.
Procession Santa Cruz
The second procession we watched is one of the most popular and is held in the narrow streets of Santa Cruz. Thousands of people gather early to get a good spot to watch the procession.
We were very fortunate to have friends who invited us to watch the procession from their balcony which overlooks the procession. We could see the procession from a great vantage point.
The streets of Santa Cruz are narrow and there is one section in particular which is the narrowest in the procession route. At this section the people carrying the floats (known as the brotherhood) must be very careful to lower the float below the edges of the balconies which line the street.
The floats in Santa Cruz are very heavy and the heaviest one is over a ton. You can see the strain and effort on the people trying to move the float slowly and carefully down the stairs.
It is considered good luck if you are fortunate enough to touch one of the floats as it passes by. Shelley was able to reach out and touch the statue of Jesus as the float went by.
There are women dressed in black mourning throughout the procession. Some of the mourning women carry symbols of the stations of the cross.
The procession in Santa Cruz is very emotional, You can feel the emotions of people as they sing and cheer throughout the procession. It is definitely one of the highlights of the Semana Santa in Alicante.
Below is a video of the procession in Santa Cruz.
Santa Maria Church Procession
We went to a roof top bar to see the Santa Maria procession which begins at the Santa Maria Church. The bar has a great view of the castle of Santa Barbara and overlooks the Santa Maria Church.
The bar was full of people waiting to see the procession from the rooftop.
The procession began with the church bells ringing and people on the church roof throwing rose pedals onto the procession.
The float is carried out of the church while crowds align both sides of the street. We watched from the rooftop as the procession went along the street.
Below is a video of the procession from the Santa Maria Church.
Each of the three processions were unique and different. We enjoyed each one for their uniqueness and style. Semana Santa is a great time to be in Spain and in particular Alicante.
“Hasta luego y tengas un buen dia”
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