With Europe’s historically religious roots, it isn’t surprising to see that many of its countries still celebrate Easter today – though often in secular manners and not always the way we do here in Canada.
Poland’s traditions include Śmigus-dyngus (men splashing women with water on Easter Monday), while Czech Republic has pomlázka (whips made of willow-twigs for slapping girls). In Ireland, it’s time for spring cleaning, while residents in Greece and Bulgaria have fun with rocket and egg battles, respectively.
Although many countries have their own unique customs (and I’m sure we could spend an afternoon discussing them), let’s dive into the details of Spain’s traditions with the help of GEM associate Marley Blake.
Located in Southwestern Europe, Spain celebrates Easter at the same time as Canada. In addition to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, though, they celebrate for an entire week, beginning on Palm Sunday and ending a week later, on Easter Sunday – this is called Holy Week, or Semana Santa. You won’t find much evidence of an Easter bunny in Spain; their focus this week is solely on Jesus and the sacrifice that he made.
There are a few days through Holy Week that carry the most significance. On Palm Sunday, celebrators will bring olive branches to their churches to be blessed. On Holy Wednesday, you might spot some locals wearing dark hoods and playing percussion instruments throughout the day and night in commemoration of Judas’ betrayal. Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ death, is commemorated with showy processions throughout city streets. And finally, Easter Sunday is a day to spend with family and celebrate Christ’s resurrection.
During Holy Week, the most prominent traditional displays you’ll see are religious processions by Catholic brotherhoods; from their home church, through the city streets, and back again, the brotherhoods carry elaborate floats with a depiction of the crucifixion story. Marley recounts that many people gather to watch these parades of volunteers dressed as both Roman soldiers and penitents dressed in tunic robes with face coverings. “By wearing the hats in Easter processions, penitents are re-enacting Christ’s road to Calvary. The hat pointing upwards is also supposed to represent the penitent’s journey to heaven.”
Like many countries in Europe, only a small percentage of Spanish nationals have a relationship with Jesus. “As I watched the processional go by, I wondered how many people were simply going through the motions of what they do each year without knowing the true meaning behind it all,” Marley remembers. For many, these celebrations have been whittled down to an empty tradition.
Adding to her uncertainty, the most important element of Easter was missing in Marley’s city and its events: “Even though the procession tells people about the sacrifice that Jesus made being crucified, it left out the most important event – the resurrection. It saddens me to think that people who do not know the entire story from the Bible may believe that Jesus was defeated at the cross.” Thankfully, this significant event is honoured on Easter Sunday in many other areas of Spain, usually in the form of more processionals.
Although it is wonderful to see a country observe the life and sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour during Easter, let’s continue to pray that the entirety of the Good News, and the hope and joy that come with it, speaks to those who don’t yet know new life in Christ. And let’s give thanks that Christians like Marley are in position to share the full story with curious spectators in Spain this holiday.
