It is not necessary to give up religious fervor, if this is the case, or the mere interest in learning about ancient traditions linked to Holy Week, while the holidays are used to seek the sun and relaxation that the beaches of the Costa Blanca offer in these dates. Because Alicante also has unique processions and other old-fashioned events and ceremonies that do not detract from other more famous ones and – for this reason – perhaps too crowded. Here are some:
Palm Sunday and the white palms of Elx
It is declared a festival of International Tourist Interest. It boasts more than 700 years of history and the Palm Procession, which commemorates the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem, is the main event, with thousands of people from Elche carrying palms from their famous palm orchards.
Tradition includes hanging blessed palms on balconies, a custom that spread throughout the West during the Middle Ages and has been preserved here.
Every year, a different brotherhood is in charge of carrying the “La Borriquita” step. The procession begins on the Paseo de la Estación at 10:45 a.m. with the blessing of the palms. And the route borders the Municipal Park, which generates a striking contrast of the white palms in motion on a background of green palm trees.
The first documentary data that exists related to Palm Sunday dates back to the year 1371, since an act of the Municipal Council is preserved in the Municipal Archive of Elx where it is agreed to allocate an amount to charity on Palm Sunday and the celebration of processions on Monday, Tuesday and following Wednesday. As a curiosity, in the municipal records there is evidence that, on March 21, 1429, in Valencia some residents of Elx who went to sell white palm were imprisoned.
Fridays of Dolores in Crevillent
Not far from Elx, towards the interior, in Crevillent the mix of popular devotion and tradition that represents Holy Week is manifested every year, filling its streets with processions and religious figures of great artistic value, some of them works by the distinguished sculptor Mariano Benlliure.
The Friday of Sorrows is one of the most important moments of these days, when at dawn, the sound of the bugles interprets the “dianas”, melodies that are the starting signal for the day’s processions. At dawn, thousands of people witness up close the most emotional act for the inhabitants of Crevillent: the Embrace of the Morquera, between the figures of Our Father Jesus and the Virgin of Sorrows, on the way to Calvary. On the same Friday afternoon, the Procession of the Death of Christ is celebrated, the most spectacular of all, with choral music breaking the absolute silence of the parade.
Orihuela: silence and the Covered Knight
Orihuela, episcopal seat, celebrates Holy Week whose origins date back to the 16th century and in which meditation and religious fervor are characteristic. Among its numerous events, the Procession of Silence stands out, which begins with the last bell that marks eleven o’clock at night on Holy Thursday and with the phrase “brothers, silence”, pronounced by the president of the Brotherhood. This tradition marks the beginning of a parade, followed by thousands of people, that runs through the old town of Orihuela with no more sound than the footsteps of the penitents.
This silence is broken with the “Passion Song”, a tradition from the 18th century, in which a choir of male voices enhances the solemnity of the processions and begins the transition to the Holy Saturday procession, better known as the ” Covered Knight”, and in which only one person, thanks to a papal bull, can wear a hat inside the church; a unique tradition.
Seafaring Holy Week in Alicante
A port city, like Alicante, reflects its character and history in the tradition of its Holy Week, with events that local chronicles have recorded for more than four centuries. Already on the Friday before Palm Sunday, the Cristo del Mar arrives at the port, escorted by boat by the port police. From then until Easter Sunday, a total of 28 processions fill the streets of the city to the beat of drums and brothers.
Among the most notable processions are that of the Morenet, considered the patron saint of men of the sea, and that of the Santa Cruz, usually the most crowded, which runs on Holy Wednesday through the narrow and steep streets of the beautiful neighborhood of the same name. Also worth noting on Holy Thursday is the Holy Supper procession, whose impressive monumental procession, one of the largest in Spain, requires almost 200 bearers to carry.
Guardamar del Segura: a tradition of more than 300 years
Holy Week in Guardamar has its roots in the 17th century. The processional steps, influenced by the Valencian and Murcian imagery schools, stand out for their high artistic quality. Stages such as “The Holy Supper”, “The Arrest”, “The Lavatory of Pilate” or “La Verónica” take on a special meaning in this town on the banks of the Segura River.
The Sermon of the Seven Words in Aspe
In Aspe, Holy Week has a long history that dates back to the 17th century with the founding of the Brotherhood of the Dulcísimo Nombre de Jesús. Among its most unique elements is the Sermon of the Seven Words, known locally as The Mount, which is performed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Help.
Sacramental Auto of Callosa de Segura
The Patronage of the Passion in Callosa de Segura has its roots in the religious exercises of the Mortified Crown, celebrated in the old convent of the Alcantarian Franciscans since the end of the 16th century. This representation, inspired by the verses of Juan Bautista Pont, is a sacramental auto that narrates the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth through fifteen striking scenes. More than ninety actors bring this powerful story to life.
The Holy Burial of Monóvar
Monóvar is home to one of the most beautiful Holy Weeks on the Costa Blanca. During this celebration, thousands of people participate in various events, highlighting the Holy Burial procession on Good Friday, in which all the brotherhoods have an active role. At the end of this procession, in the Church of San Juan Bautista, the brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher stages the burial of Jesus, a moment of great emotion that is worth witnessing.
