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Easter is one of the times of year which almost everyone looks forward to most. The few days' break that it
provides makes the wait until the summer holidays more bearable. But there's more to Easter than just a couple
of days off (although, truth to tell, a break from work never goes amiss).
Within the tradition of the Catholic church it's a period of the greatest importance - even more so than
Christmas; because while the birth of the Messiah is a cause for joyous celebration, Easter commemorates the time
of his death when, according to tradition, the Lord gave his life to save his people.
There are many commemorative events at Eastertide: drum-roll festivals; the burning of the Judas effigy;
'los picaos' (processions of flagellants) ... and many other processions which, in Andalucía - and, of course,
in Huelva - have a special flavour. Here on visithuelva.com we give you the key information and details to
enable you to steep yourself in the atmosphere of Easter, finding out a few secrets and curious facts.
But for those who prefer to enjoy Easter, and their holidays, "far from the madding crowd" and from these
traditions, Huelva awaits the traveller with an endless list of alternative leisure opportunities that include
something for everyone. Come and discover them!
For Christians, Easter is the time of year when they commemorate the passion, death of resurrection of Christ.
It lasts from Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday. In some places Sorrowful Friday and Passion Saturday - the days
leading up to Palm Sunday - are regarded as part of Holy Week or Easter. Easter is celebrated after the forty
days of Lent.
Holy Week has always had its own liturgical characteristics. Possibly the Roman church originally used to keep
the pre-Easter fast during this week only, and only later was the period of fasting extended to include all of
Lent. The main days are Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday, which are called the Three Days of
Easter.
Easter isn't celebrated at the same time each year; it can fall in either March or April. This is because Good
Friday or Easter Sunday (either day serves as a reference) must be the Friday or Sunday immediately following the
first full moon of spring which, at our latitudes, occurs after 21st March (the spring equinox). In 2008, Easter
Sunday falls on 23rd March.
The reason why the festival is movable is that the Catholic Church wanted to commemorate Jesus' death on the
same day as the Gospels indicated. At that time the lunar calendar was in use, therefore the Church uses it
to set the date of this celebration.
Easter is celebrated in very different ways. Even in Spain, the differences between different regions, provinces
and towns are clearly marked. One common feature is that religious images are brought out of their churches and
carried in procession through the streets.
In Castilla y León the processions are solemn in nature and the religious figures are of high artistic value.
The same goes for Murcia. In other places Easter is celebrated by drumming, and by acting out Passion scenes.
Andalucía has many Easter traditions and celebrations, especially the processions, whose features differ from
province to province and even from one locality to the next.
Every day of Holy Week in Huelva, Spain has a special magic. When the brother- and sisterhoods go
in procession through their neighbourhoods the popular fervour is contagious; carrying the statue along the
Official Route gives the procession a more dignified air, and some streets are a delight to behold when all the
lights go out, the statue halts and a Flamenco sacred song is sung in honour of the image...
Legging it around the city in search of statues being carried in procession can be exhausting work; we hope the
routes in PDF format here on this page are helpful. We've also ventured to suggest a number of recommended
vantage points, from which one may enjoy particularly beautiful Holy Week sights. Of course, they're not the
only ones: there are many tucked-away spots in Huelva where one can have a unique experience watching a statue
pass by ... Enjoy!
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