On the evening of October 21st there was a religious celebration  in Alicante called “the Salida extraordinaria del Descendimiento” . It is a procession which is held in Santa Cruz locate in the heart of the old quarter of Alicante.

We went to a friend’s home to watch the procession. They live in the barrio of Santa Cruz along the route of the procession. We had a balcony which overlooked the procession along one of the smallest spots in the route.

The Salida extraordinria del Descendimiento has a wooden platform which is carried through the barrio of Santa Cruz. On the wooden float is a wooden carving of Jesus and other religious figures. They are all carried on a large wooden platform. The weight of the statues and  the platform is approximately 25,000 lbs (1135 kg).

People gather throughout the route to pray, sing and clap as the platform is carried. There are approximately 30 people who carry the heavy platform and they stop along the route for prayers and songs. There is a band which follows the procession and plays unique music for the event.

We had an excellent location to watch the entire Salida extraordinaria del Descendimiento. The balcony was located so close to the route that Shelley was able to reach out and touch the cross and the carving of Jesus as it went by.

We had a very enjoyable time, visiting with some of our friends and experiencing a Catholic Spanish tradition. We made a short video of the Salida extraordinaria del Descendimiento for you to enjoy. The music in the video is from the Salida extraordinaria del Descendimiento and was played during the procession.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”