CAPUCHIN PROCESSION SPAIN
An agreement has been formally ratified between the Spanish unions and the Spanish government regarding the planned Easter airport strikes in Spain. The strikes in Spain are not, as I always suspected, going to happen.
Of course, this is very good news!
The last thing that Spain needed was disruption to its precious (for the economy) tourist industry and any Easter airport strikes in Spain would have been deeply unpopular amongst the Spanish themselves. Easter is a very important holiday period in Spain and one during which the Spanish travel a lot – even if it is just to fly from one part of this vast country to another to see distant relatives.
So, as your holiday in Spain is now safe with regard to flights to Spain, you can come over here to enjoy Easter – which is a great time in which to visit Spain. Good weather is not guaranteed, of course, but it can be magnificent. Indeed, day time temperatures can climb easily up to 20 degrees or more, although you should be prepared for early mornings and evenings to be chilly.
Needless to say, Easter is a time of extended fiestas. Semana Santa (Easter week) is laden with festivities and you should really make an effort to see these as they can be marvellous spectacles. However, if your holiday is around a beach area then you should make an effort to go into your local town or village, otherwise you could easily miss everything that is happening.
One of my favourite parts to Easter is seeing the Capuchin processions. These are marvels of colour with the participants dressed in costumes that look similar to that worn by American members of the Klu Lux Klan.
There are many different processions over Easter and these can vary greatly between the regions. That said, all have a religious theme and tend to involve, at some point, the carrying of floats with saints and effigies (often beautifully decorated with magnificent flower arrangments) around the streets. In the case of somewhere like my beloved Gandia, the Capuchin processions can involve thousands of people and provide a mind bogglingly beautiful scene with an entrancing atmosphere.
In fact, knowing what I do now, if I was coming over to Spain for an Easter break then I would centre my holiday around seeing the way that the Spanish celebrate their Easter festivities in Spain.
Truly, the processions are not to be missed – and can turn your Easter break in Spain from being far more than just a welcome rest from day to day life. Indeed, you may, quite easily, see breathtakingly beautiful images and events that will remain with you for as long as you live!
Mind you, Spain is nothing if not full of surprises – and the overt religious aspect to Easter in Spain should not trick you into thinking that you are coming to a radical Christian nation. This is far from true and, perhaps, is well illustrated by the wonderful Easter Monday fiesta of Lunes de Aguas in Salamanca.
Lunes de Aguas is when the population of Salamanca picnic on the riverbanks – which all sounds rather twee. However, the truth is that the origins of this fiesta come from the local population celebrating the return of the prostitutes to the city, who had been banished during Lent!
Terrific!
So, enjoy yourself over Easter – there appears to be no more danger of the planned Easter airport strikes in Spain and you will be able to revel in a time notable for its extraordinary fiestas and street life…
RELEVANT INFORMATION
Airport Strikes in Spain – chaos or resolution?
Las Fallas – an incredible fiesta in Spain
La Tomatina – the greatest tomato fight in the world
