Holy Week in the Region of Murcia

The celebration of Holy Week brings together some of the main cultural, artistic and religious manifestations of the Region of Murcia. In addition, there are outstanding processions in almost all the municipalities of the Region. Some places, such as Alcantarilla, Alhama de Murcia, Calasparra, San Pedro del Pinatar or La Unión have the recognition of Regional Tourist Interest: the song of numerous

Processions

• The processions of Cartagena, the biblical-pasional parades of Lorca, the Holy Week of Murcia and the celebration of Holy Week in Jumilla are declared to be International Tourist Interest.
  • Holy Week of Cartagena. Between Friday of Dolores and Sunday of Resurrection, Marrajos, Californios, of the Risen and of the Relief, they organize various processions that have as their main characteristic the martial order of the penitents, the spectacular floral arrangements of the thrones, the profuse use of light and the processional marches of their own. In Cartagena, the first procession of the whole of Spain, that of the Christ of Relief, comes every year in the early morning of the Feast of Friday of Dolores, the day of the patron saint of the city. He treasures an important sculptural heritage of images such as José Capuz, Juan González Moreno, Mariano Benlliure, Francisco Salzillo, Federico Coullaut-Valera and many other Spanish sculptors, countless embroideries of high quality and pieces of goldsmithy. Among its particularities are the singing of the Salve Cartagenera to the gathering of each Virgin and the night of the Encounter, the thirds of roman farmers and soldiers and the military pickets at the close of the main processions.
  • Biblical-Passional Parades of Lorca. Lorca lives Easter with a spectacular passion. Apart from devotion for their religious images, the Biblical Parades of Friday of Dolores, Palm Sunday, Thursday and Good Friday (especially this last day) are extremely striking, with the presence of horses and chariots and embroidered of exceptional quality. Apart from other steps, the duality of the Lorquina Holy Week is articulated between the White Pass and the Blue Pass.
  • Easter in Murcia. His confraternities treasure a sculptural heritage of first order, led by the sizes of the immortal Salzillo, as well as others of Nicolás de Bussy, Nicolás Salzillo, Roque López, or even works of the centuryXVI de Diego de Ayala o Domingo Beltrán (also mentioning more recent authors such as González Moreno, José Sánchez Lozano or José Planes). In the processions traditional style of the capital, besides being customary for the Nazarene to hand over to the public habas, hard eggs, caramels, monas and other memories, highlights the conservation of folkloric and ethnographic aspects of centuries ago such as the indumentary of penitents, butlers or shelves, musical touches of their own (such as mockery) or the special way in which the thrones are carried. Applications that contrast with processions style of silence which also has the city.
  • Holy Week of Jumilla. It has more than 600 years of history and has been declared a Tourist Interest since February 1980, of National Tourist Interest since December 2003 and of International Tourist Interest since May 2019, was recognized with the Gold Medal of the Region of Murcia in 2000. It is the most important celebration or event of how many are held in the city throughout the year, and it is also the most important feast of the town for its history, tradition, popular roots, devotion and cultural and artistic heritage. With processions between Friday Dolores and Sunday of Resurrection. More than three thousand Nazarenes participate.

• Two more are declared of National Tourist InterestCieza and Mula.
  • Holy Week in Cieza. In the Holy Week of Cieza, with its more than 600 years of history, works of insigns come out to the street such as: González Moreno, José Planes, José Capuz, Ignacio Pinazo Martínez, Palma Burgos, Sánchez Araciel, Luis Álvarez Duarte, José Hernández Navarro and even those of the sculptor Manuel Juan Carrillo Marco, among others.
  • Holy Week in Mula. Parades from the Friday of Dolores to the Resurrection Sunday, with images of great artistic value signed by Sánchez Lozano, González Moreno and Hernández Navarro, highlight the collection of the procession of Wednesday Santo by the stands of the Ermita del Carmen, the meeting of the Yacente to the collection of the procession of Good Friday or the joy of the Meeting on the Sunday of Resurrection. Also, the Tamborada where thousands of drummers hit the drum since midnight of Holy Tuesday, tradition that melts its roots with those of the villages of Lower Aragon and continues on Friday and Sunday of Resurrection.

• There are also outstanding processions in almost all the municipalities of the Region. Some places, such as Alcantarilla, Alhama de Murcia, Calasparra or San Pedro del Pinatar, have the recognition of the Regional Tourist Interest.

• Holy Week of Las Torres de Cotillas. With origins in primitive confraternities and processions since 1612 and with processions of sculptural or imaginary confraternities since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuryXX. In addition, there are 7 processions without counting the reel of the Holy Monday: Friday of Dolores, Domingo de Ramos (dated in 1901 in origins), Holy Tuesday (procession of the prendition of Jesus Cautivo and the Encounter with Hope Macarena) Holy Wednesday (procession of silence) Friday of Calvary (in the morning in which the 8 cofraternities take part), Friday night (

• Other localities and pedanias of Murcia:
  • Holy Week of Algezares, with the procession of Holy Thursday of the fellowship of Ntro. Father Jesus with 8 thrones. And the procession of the Brotherhood of the Christ of Health on Good Friday with 2 thrones, a procession of silence of Castilian inspiration where the penitents parade with the attire of Franciscans and at their turn the neighbors lit fires.
  • Holy Week in Sangonera the Green, Friday of Dolores, Holy Thursday and Good Friday with 3 confraternities, it is also one of the first localities of the Region to have a brotherhood formed by women.
  • Holy Week in Beniaján.
  • Easter week in Santomera
  • Holy Week in La Unión, marked by the influence of Holy Week in Cartagena, since one of its main features is the order of its penitents. It is also strongly marked by the tradition of mining life, translated into the singing of numerous arrows in its course, and by the images in its steps of the outstanding local sculptor Asensio Sáez

Drumming

Some municipalities celebrate important tamborados during Holy Week. It is the case of:

• Moratalla: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, from noon and until noon.
• Mula: Declared International Tourist Interest. On Holy Tuesday at 12 o'clock in the Tower of San Miguel, until 16 o'clock on Holy Wednesday. The touch is also allowed on both Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.
• Jumilla: Saturday of Passion, at 7:30 pm and Holy Saturday at 12 pm.
• Beniaján: Night of Holy Tuesday.
• Las Torres de Cotillas: Monday at 23:00 pm organized by the confraternity of San Juan Evangelista in which all the confraternities of the municipality participate.