I experienced Spain’s biggest Easter celebration in a tiny local town – it’s unlike anything in the UK
SEMANA Santa – also known as Holy Week – is the biggest religious festival celebration across Spain.
During a recent trip to the country, I experienced this nationwide event after staying in a local town and was left stunned how different it was to our Easter.
Starting on Palm Sunday (March 29 this year) the days leading up to Easter see towns and cities hosting long, dramatic processions.
While cities like Seville and Malaga are famous for their huge crowds of tourists and locals, I discovered the tradition feels much more authentic in a small town.
Oliva, in the Valencian region, is usually calm and laid back, especially compared to Spain’s tourist hotspots.
But during this Holy Week, the town is transformed as the streets I had walked down earlier that day were transformed at night.
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Huge ornately decorated floats (pasos) were carried by ‘cofradías’, or brotherhoods made up or local religious groups, including neighbours, families and friends.
The procession started in baited silence, even from the kids.
It was then that the drums began, with haunting brass create a sombre tone.
Hooded figures, or ‘nazarenos’ emerged from the darkness as they moved in unison, with costumes typically only revealing the eyes (designed to make it about the faith rather than the person underneath).
While it certainly sounded eerie, I had never seen anything like it and was swept into the atmosphere along with everyone around me.
I felt like I was part of the local community, as the smaller towns are less focused on making them tourist-friendly.
There are so many other events also on during the week. For example, at 4am on Good Friday, locals climb the nearby mountain barefoot while carrying the floats.
Seeing the small-town community coming together at this hour, sacrificing sleep and comfort showed just how deeply Semana Santa runs here.
But as the week unfolds, the mood slowly shifts from mourning to celebration.
Sweets are thrown in the streets on Easter Sunday, celebrating the resurrection – a definite highlight for the local kids.
Food plays a massive role during Easter traditions, with their pastries stealing the spotlight.
Mona De Pascua – soft, brioche-like breads covered in chocolates and cream – are everywhere.
Traditionally gifted by godparents to children on Easter Sunday, they remain a staple throughout Semana Santa.
Bakeries are filled with them all week and sharing one feels like another way the town comes together to celebrate.
Experiencing it in such a small town away from the tourists and city spectacles is incomparable to just reading about it.
The elaborate floats, music and outfits make it an unforgettable experience – and certainly more of a celebration than the Brits eating hoards of chocolate instead.
I went in curious and came out completely blown away. It was unlike any Easter I have experienced in the UK.
For more holiday ideas, here are the cheapest family holiday destinations under three hours from UK that are over 20C this Easter.
Plus, the Spanish city closest to the UK that’s quieter than Barcelona is getting new TUI holidays.