Holy Week – Semana Santa 2016

Post by: Gerarda on 18 Mar 2016

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Holy Week is a sacred time in the Christian calendar that commemorates and remembers the last week of Jesus´ life on earth. The season of Lent, a time of self-denial, culminates on Easter Sunday with a great feast.

Holy Week is important for all Christians, as it focuses on the events that led up to  the Passion or suffering and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The last three days before Easter are known as the Triduum and are especially important for Catholics.

In churches everywhere on Holy Thursday, the Last Supper is reenacted, the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested. Good Friday, the day of His Crucifixion and death there is the veneration of the Cross. A service is held at 15:00 (the hour He is believed to have died) and another later in the evening. Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil is held, the day Jesus rested in the tomb. Easter Sunday  is the day where Jesus rose from the dead.

The following is a schedule of processions in Marbella.

Palm Sunday “Domingo de Ramos” – Jesus´ final entry into Jerusalem
Date: March 20th
Begin: 20.00
Location: C / San Juan de Dios, Plaza José Paloma

Holy Monday – “La Columna” – The cleansing of the Temple
Date: March 21st
Begin: 20:30
Location: Capilla Santo Cristo, Plaza Santo Cristo

Holy Tuesday – “Santa Marta” – Sermon on the Mount
Date: March 22nd
Begin: 21:00
Location: Plaza de la Iglesias, C/ Carmen

Spy Wednesday – “Nazareno” – Judas agrees to betray Jesus
Date: March 23rd
Begin: 20:30
Location: Plaza de la Iglesias, C / Salinas

Maundy Thursday – “Calvario” – The Last Supper
Date: March 24th
Begin: 18:00
Location: Plaza de la Ermita, C / Huerta Belón

Holy Thursday – “Cristo del Amor” – Jesus is arrested
Date: March 24th
Begin: 20:00
Location: Plaza de los Naranjos

Good Friday – “Yacente” – Trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus
Date: March 25th
Begin: 21:00
Location: Plaza Santo Sepulco

Good Friday – “Soledad” 
Date: March 25th
Begin: 21:30
Location: Plaza de la Iglesia

Holy Saturday – Jesus rested in the tomb
Saturday – No Procession
Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday – The Resurrection

 

Note: The schedule for the Semana Santa / Holy Week processions was correct at the time of publishing, provided by the Marbella Town Hall.

Categories: Costa del Sol News,Culture
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Posted on Friday 18th March 2016 at 2:30 pm

Semana Santa / Easter in Marbella

Post by: Gerarda on 22 Mar 2013

Easter, which was once a very religious time in the liturgical calendar in Spain, has transformed itself into more of a cultural one, especially in the Marbella area. For more than 500 years, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday Holy Week processions have made their way through the crowded streets in cities and even small villages (except on Holy Saturday) with men carrying antique thrones with images from the Passion of Jesus. Some thrones date back to the early 1900s.

Some of these magnificently adorned thrones weigh as much as 5,000 kg and are carried by up to 250 men. In the smaller towns the thrones are as you would expect, smaller, but no less adorned and carried by 40, 50 or even 100 men. In La Campana women also take turns carrying the thrones.

The processions wind their way through the streets with penitents or nazarenos dressed in long white, green, black, red or purple robes, depending on the procession, often with pointed hats, and carrying processional candles or roughly made wooden crosses. Some penitents walk the streets barefoot, while others have shackles and chains on their feet as penance. Women in black dresses wearing elegant mantillas, carrying rosary beads and candles, solemnly walk behind the thrones followed by candle bearing children dressed in long robes.  Drums and trumpets play somber music on Good Friday with the Spanish Legion playing processional marches along the route on Holy Thursday.

The drums and music from various bands, the aroma of incense and the scent of fragrant flowers flood the air creating a holy atmosphere as the processions pass by the thousands of people who line the streets and applaud their favorite thrones.

Marbella has smaller processions with one and two thrones but the enthusiasm and zeal they exhibit is no less than in the bigger centers. While we might not have Antonio Banderas as a “hombre de trono” as does Malaga, we do have dedicated and passionate participants who have been part of the processions for many years, some who have even inherited their place from their family.

The Holy Week or Semana Santa processions truly are a spectacle and are worthwhile standing and waiting for them to pass by, whether you are looking for a religious experience or a cultural one.

For a schedule of the processions in Marbella or San Pedro please see below.

 

Marbella Processions

 

Palm Sunday – Domingo de Ramos
Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem
Start- 18.00
2 Thrones
Chapel:  San Juan de Dios

 

Monday – Lunes Santo
Anointing of Jesus at Lazarus´house
Start: 20.30
2 Thrones
Chapel: Ermita Santo Cristo

 

Tuesday – Martes Santo
Jesus said his disciple, Judas, would betray him and Peter would deny him three times.
Start: 21.00
2 Thrones
Church: Ntra. Sra. De la Encarnación

 

Spy Wednesday – Miércoles Santo
Judas Iscariot conspired to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
Start: 20.30
2 Thrones
Church: Parroquía Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación

 

Holy Thursday – Jueves Santo
Washing of the feet – Last Supper
Procession # 1
Start: 18.00
2 Thrones
Chapel: Ermita El Calvario

Procession # 2
Start: 20.00
3 Thrones
Chapel: Ermita de Santiago

 

Good Friday – Viernes Santo
Crucifixion of Jesus
Procession # 1
Procession in silence
Start: 01.00
Chapel: Santo Sepulcro

Procession # 2
Start: 21.30
1 Throne
Chapel: Santo Sepulcro (Casa Hermandad)

Procession # 3
Start: 21.30
1 Throne
Church: Ntra. Sra. De la Encarnación

 

Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil
Jesus rises from the dead
No procession

 

Easter Sunday – Domingo de Resurrección
Start: 12.00
1 Throne
Church: Ntra. Sra. De la Encarnación

 

San Pedro Processions

 

Palm Sunday
Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem
Start: 12.00
1 Throne
Church: Parroquia San Pedro de Alcántara

 

Spy Wednesday – Miércoles Santo
Judas Iscariot conspired to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.
Start: 21.00
Church: Parroquia San Pedro de Alcántara -Plaza de la Iglesia

 

Holy Thursday – Jueves Santo
Washing of the feet – Last Supper
Procession # 1
Start: 21.30
2 Thrones
Church: Parroquia San Pedro de Alcántara

 

Procession # 2 – In silence
Start: 01.30
1 Throne
Church: Parroquia San Pedro de Alcántara

 

Good Friday – Viernes Santo
 Crucifixion of Jesus
Start: 21.30
2 Thrones
Church: Parroquia San Pedro de Alcántara

 

Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil
Jesus rises from the dead
No procession

 

Easter Sunday – Domingo de Resurrección
Start: 12.00
1 Throne
Church: Parroquia San Pedro de Alcántara

Note: The schedule for the Semana Santa / Holy Week processions was correct at the time of publishing, provided by the Marbella Town Hall.