In Pictures: Spain gears up for colourful Easter street processions

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In Pictures: Spain Gears Up For Colourful Easter Street Processions
Figures of Jesus undergoing restoration at the Arte Martinez workshop in Horche, central Spain, © Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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By Bernat Armangue and Ciaran Giles, Associated Press

Spain is getting ready for one of its most revered holiday periods of the year – Easter.

The holy week means thousands of colourful and noisy religious street processions, which draw multitudes on to the streets to watch.

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Mari Carmen Perez brushes palms to be used during Palm Sunday processions at a shop in Elche, eastern Spain
Mari Carmen Perez brushes palms to be used during Palm Sunday processions at a shop in Elche, eastern Spain (Bernat Armangue/AP)

The central pieces of the processions are the richly decorated gigantic floats bearing sculptures of Jesus or the Virgin Mary and often weighing up to a tonne or more.


Angela Pastor decorates a palm
Angela Pastor decorates a palm (Bernat Armangue/AP)

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Employees work at the Bellido candle factory in Andujar, southern Spain
Employees work at the Bellido candle factory in Andujar, southern Spain (Bernat Armangue/AP)

The ceremonies see brotherhoods of “nazarenos” with tall conical hats, monkish robes and hoods carrying or escorting the magnificent carriages through ancient streets of cities and towns nationwide.

While the processions take place over just a handful of days, preparations are a year-round affair and involve a wide range of small, sometimes family-run businesses.

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Members of the ‘Nuestro Padre Jesus del Gran Poder y la Esperanza Macarena’ brotherhood prepare a float used to carry a religious statue during Holy Week processions inside a church in Madrid
Members of the ‘Nuestro Padre Jesus del Gran Poder y la Esperanza Macarena’ brotherhood prepare a float used to carry a religious statue during Holy Week processions inside a church in Madrid (Bernat Armangue/AP)

The artisans are responsible for producing all the regalia, from conical hats and huge candles to palm leaf bouquets.


Porters of ‘Nuestro Padre Jesus del Gran Poder y la Esperanza Macarena’ brotherhood practice in downtown Madrid
Porters of ‘Nuestro Padre Jesus del Gran Poder y la Esperanza Macarena’ brotherhood practice in downtown Madrid (Bernat Armangue/AP)

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There are also workshops in charge of the conservation of religious sculptures, their dresses and adorning cloths.

“It’s year-long preparation,” says Paqui Serrano, an artisan palm leaf bouquet-maker in Elche, south-east Spain, the heart of Spain’s palm tree agriculture.


Porters of ‘Nuestro Padre Jesus del Gran Poder y la Esperanza Macarena’ brotherhood gather prior to practicing in downtown Madrid
Porters of ‘Nuestro Padre Jesus del Gran Poder y la Esperanza Macarena’ brotherhood gather prior to practicing in downtown Madrid (Bernat Armangue/AP)

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Fernando Chicharro Mendez, head of the team float bearers in Madrid’s Jesus of the Great Power and Macarena Brotherhood, has carried floats for 25 years.


A porter of ‘Nuestro Padre Jesus del Gran Poder y la Esperanza Macarena’ brotherhood adjusts his ‘costal’ prior to practicing
A porter of ‘Nuestro Padre Jesus del Gran Poder y la Esperanza Macarena’ brotherhood adjusts his ‘costal’ prior to practicing (Bernat Armangue/AP)

He says the task of carrying the floats has varied little in the brotherhood’s 83 years of existence.

Mr Chicharro says he and his son, another float bearer, and family are constantly occupied with the processions and their preparations.


Jose Arenas adjusts a hood used by penitents during Holy Week processions at the Capirotes Arenas shop in Cordoba, southern Spain
Jose Arenas adjusts a hood used by penitents during Holy Week processions at the Capirotes Arenas shop in Cordoba, southern Spain (Bernat Armangue/AP)

“We live it daily,” he said. “In my family, all are brotherhood members and experience it with great faith.”

Mr Chicharro’s float is carried by 35 bearers, with brothers on standby to relieve them along the procession route.


Spain Easter Preparations Photo Gallery
A girl tries on a hood, to be used during Holy Week processions, at Capirotes Arenas (Bernat Armangue/AP)

Their practice sessions frequently pique the interest of tourists and Spaniards alike as they wind their way through the streets in the weeks before Easter.

Easter this year begins with Palm Sunday on April 2.


Candles burn at the Bellido candle factory in Andujar, southern Spain
Candles burn at the Bellido candle factory in Andujar, southern Spain (Bernat Armangue/AP)

A sacred holiday for Spaniards, it generally sees millions taking trips out of town, often just to witness the processions.

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