Longer days and warmer weather—spring is a great time to visit Spain and shake off the winter blues. And if you happen to go during Semana Santa (Holy Week), you’ll witness some of the country’s most spectacular and deeply rooted celebrations.
Easter in Spain is more than just a holiday. It’s an immersive cultural experience. The events offer a front-row seat to the heart of Spanish heritage. But here’s something important to know: no two Easter experiences in Spain are the same, since every city celebrates it differently. Here is what to expect and how to blend in to experience Easter in Spain like a local.
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When is Easter Day in Spain?
Domingo de Resurrección or Pascua (Easter Sunday in Spain) doesn’t fall on the same date yearly. It’s celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. And it can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25. This year, Easter is on April 20, 2025.
Are Semana Santa and Easter the same thing?
Not exactly. Many countries celebrate Easter on Easter Sunday. But Easter isn’t just a one-day event in Spain—it’s a whole semana (week) of festivities. Easter traditions in Spain are some of the most long-standing cultural events in Europe for this important week.
The Spanish Semana Santa (Holy Week) begins on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) and ends on the Domingo de Resurrección (literally, Sunday of resurrection) or Easter Sunday.
How is Easter celebrated in Spain?
While it is a religious festivity, Easter in Spain is also a spectacle of history and folklore anyone can appreciate, regardless of faith. In fact, centuries-old traditions and community participation make this holiday one of the most captivating festivals in Spain that you really don’t find anywhere else.
Procesiones (religious parades) are the stars of the Semana Santa. There are several of them almost every day in large and small cities alike. However, they are not the only highlight. You’ll also find live reenactments of the final days of Christ’s life performed by actors, classical music festivals, and corridas (bullfights). On Easter Sunday, it’s a tradition for every Christian to attend mass—usually between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Beyond organized events, Easter in Spain is also a time for family gatherings. Many Spaniards take advantage of the holiday to volver al pueblo (return to town) and go to their hometowns to spend time with loved ones.
What to do in Spain on Easter Sunday
On Easter Sunday, the event’s agenda is less busy in most cities as many of the events have happened throughout the week and especially on Viernes Santo (Good Friday). But there is still a lot you can do!
1. Participate in the Procesión del Resucitado (Resurrection Parade)
Historically, Easter processions had the spiritual and pedagogical purpose of teaching the gospel’s events. Nowadays, they also have deep cultural and historical significance.
The cofradías (religious brotherhoods) have carried these processions out for centuries, organizing the main ones during the Triduum Paschale (from Thursday to Sunday). Each parade honors a specific moment of Christ’s last days and follows a particular route across the city.
On Easter Sunday, only one procession is allowed to celebrate Christ’s resurrection, called del resucitado (Resurrected Christ) or del encuentro (of the reunion). This event is more joyful and features a central symbolic moment when the statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary meet in a reenactment of their reunion.
2. Admire the pasos (Easter floats)
Pasos are big decorated floats featuring sculptures and scenes of the Passion, death, and resurrection. Some are made of wood and gold leaf or have lifelike figures dressed in embroidered robes.
Each paso has specific characteristics that correspond to a symbology. For example, the ones that carry the Virgin Mary alone or with St. John have a palio (dossal) to represent the high rank of the two figures.
These floats are extremely heavy. They need dozens of costaleros (cofradías members) to lift and carry them during the procession. Having this role is a great honor, so don’t be surprised to see these men very emotional during the procession.
When not in procession, pasos stay in local churches, where visitors can admire them up close before they take to the streets.
3. Discover Nazarenos (Nazarenes) and penitentes (penitents)
These two protagonists of Holy Week are probably the most impactful. These men wear hoods covering their heads and faces and sometimes walk barefoot or drag heavy chains as a sign of penitence. They both walk with the parades, but have different roles.
- Nazarenos (also capuchones/papones) carry the cirios (candles) illuminating the processions. They wear the traditional capirote, a pointed hood.
- Penitentes cover their heads and faces with simple hoods and hold big wooden crosses.
During Easter, you can also see women wearing a black or purple mantilla—an intricately embroidered veil secured with a peineta (a large comb). This attire symbolizes mourning on Holy Thursday and Good Friday.
4. Feel the rhythm of Madrid’s drum parade
The tamborrada is a parade with tambores (drums) and bombos (bass drums) playing in unison. They are an important tradition that happen in many cities, and some tamborradas have even been included in Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage list, like the one in Calanda (Teruel).
If you’re in Madrid, you can enjoy it as the closing event on Easter Sunday in central Plaza Mayor. Thousands of people attend this ground-pounding event that will not soon be forgotten by visitors.
5. Experience the besapiés in Seville
If you are visiting Seville, you will have many opportunities to come across the besapiés or besamanos (literally, “kiss the feet” and “kiss the hands”).
It’s a religious event organized during Easter Sunday by many churches across the city. They display life-size statues of Christ (often centuries old and exquisitely detailed) at ground level for the faithful to touch or kiss the feet or hands. It’s a profound act of devotion that attracts many participants every year.
Where to go for unique events during Easter in Spain
Many unmissable events happen during the Semana Santa and on Easter Sunday that might get your attention if you’re planning where to see the most celebrations. Some will be more somber and dramatic than others, but all of them carry significant meaning and tradition.
Seville
The ancient city of Seville hosts Spain’s most spectacular Easter celebrations, with grand and emotional processions. During the week, you must experience saetas—acapella flamenco vocals sung from balconies during processions. They are incredibly moving! And don’t forget Easter opens the season of other festivals like the famous Feria de Abril in Seville (April Fair).
Malaga
One of the most anticipated events in Malaga is the Thursday procession of Cristo de la Buena Muerte (Christ of the Good Death). The Spanish Legion, a special military corps, escorts the statue while singing.
Lorca
This small city is the only one to stage Roman bigas (beams) and cuadrigas (chariots) pulled by horses. It’s one of the Spanish Semana Santa events with recognized cultural significance for its unique elements and the garments featuring the bordado lorquino (gold and silk embroidery).
Zamora, León, Salamanca
These three cities in Castilla y León are known for their austere processions, often silent and highly dramatic. Zamora’s Easter celebration is one of the oldest in Spain, dating back to 1273!
Zaragoza
If you visit the city, don’t miss its outstanding tamborrada with more than 4,000 percussion instruments; it will fill your chest with emotion.
Cuenca and Toledo
These historic cities are less than an hour by train from Madrid and are excellent day trips if you spend Easter in Spain’s capital. Their lovely medieval streets offer a unique scenario.
The meaning of colors during Spain’s Easter celebrations
The list of Spanish colors during Easter is quite rich. It involves pasos, ornaments, clothing, and statues. Colors are symbolic, so they vary by region or the day of the procession.
- Morado (purple): The most iconic Easter color, symbolizing penance and Christ’s Passion. Nazarenos often wear it.
- Negro (black): The color of mourning is mainly used during Good Friday during the Virgin Mary parades.
- Blanco (white): It represents purity and Christ’s triumph over death.
- Rojo (red): The color of blood connects to the idea of sacrifice and martyrdom.
- Verde (green): Deep green is also quite present in the Semana Santa as a sign of hope and eternal life.
- Azul (blue): In Christianity, it represents the Virgin Mary. It’s worn by many brotherhoods devoted to her.
- Dorado (gold) and plateado (silver): Precious metals are associated with the divine and essentials in the pasos decorations.
- Marrón (brown): It’s the color of humility, remembering the cassock of the Franciscans.
- Carmesí (crimson) and rojo cardenal (cardinal red): As the name suggests, these are the colors cardinals wear during the processions.
- Amarillo (yellow): In art, the tunic of Judas Iscariote (Judas Iscariot), the apostle who betrayed Christ, is often painted in this color. So, yellow, as a symbol of treachery, is generally excluded from the Semana Santa.
Traditional Easter food to try in Spain
No trip is complete without tasting the local cuisine! Spanish Easter dishes are simple yet hearty, rooted in centuries-old traditions.
Many dishes include bacalao (cod). Historically, people avoided meat during Lent, and these versatile fish became the perfect alternative. Today, restaurants serve all kinds of Spanish food during Semana Santa, but these time-honored recipes remain a staple.
- Bacalao a la vizcaína (cod Vizcaya style): A stew with tomato sauce, onions, garlic, and peppers.
- Bacalao con tomate (cod with tomato): Cooked with tomato sauce and served with potatoes.
- Tortillas de bacalao (cod fritters): Andalusian fritters made with salt cod, flour, and parsley.
- Soldaditos de Pavía (Pavia’s soldiers): Crispy fried cod strips with a slice of red pepper on top. They are typical Easter tapas (small portions) in Andalusia and Madrid. The name comes from the colors red and yellow, which remind the uniforms used by soldiers during the 19th century Pavia’s battle.
Spending Easter in Spain is also a good opportunity to savour potajes (soups/stews made with legumes, vegetables, and sometimes fish).
- Potaje de garbanzos con espinacas (with chickpea and spinach): It can also have cod sometimes.
- Potaje de vigilia (Vigil stew): Lenten stew made with cod, chickpeas, spinach, beans, or other legumes.
Even desserts are simple and come from “humble” origins.
- Torrijas: Fried bread slices soaked in milk, cinnamon, and sugar, similar to French toast. Homemade warm torrijas are delicious and available everywhere during Easter. They are also very easy and inexpensive to cook at home.
- Mona de Pascua: A sweet bread, often decorated with colored eggs, typical of Catalonia and Valencia.
- Pestiños: Fried dough pastries flavored with anise and honey.
- Buñuelos de viento: Light, puffy fritters dusted with sugar.
Essential Spanish vocabulary to use during Easter
If you want to learn Spanish faster and improve your knowledge, there is no better way to do it than to practice it in Spain.
Castilian Spanish is the official language but not the only language spoken in Spain. Coastal and northern regions have their co-official languages.
- Catalán (Catalan): Spoken in Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands.
- Euskera (Basque): A language isolate spoken in the Basque Country and Navarre.
- Gallego (Galician): Spoken in Galicia.
But don’t worry; you will have no problem communicating with locals and trying your favorite Spanish words.
Holy Week Days in Spanish
Need to read the event program or ask for information from a local? Knowing the names of the holy days of the week in Spanish is key!
| Spanish | English |
| Viernes de Dolores | Friday of Sorrows |
| Domingo de Ramos | Palm Sunday |
| Lunes Santo | Holy Monday |
| Martes Santo | Holy Tuesday |
| Miércoles Santo | Holy Wednesday |
| Jueves Santo | Maundy Thursday |
| Viernes Santo | Good Friday |
| Sábado Santo | Holy Saturday |
| Domingo de Resurrección/de Pascua | Easter Sunday |
| Lunes de Pascua | Easter Monday |
Handy expressions for Easter celebrations in Spain
Besides knowing how to say hello in Spanish, it will help you a lot to add these quick questions and expressions to your phrasebook.
| Spanish | English |
| ¡Feliz Semana Santa! | Happy Holy Week! |
| ¿Cortarán esta calle por la procesión? | Will this street be closed for the procession? |
| ¿Cuánto dura la procesión? | How long does the procession last? |
| ¿Dónde empieza la procesión? | Where does the procession start? |
| ¿Dónde puedo ver la procesión? | Where can I watch the procession? |
| ¿Estáis abiertos en Semana Santa? | Are you open during Holy Week? |
| ¿Lleva bacalao? | Does it have cod? (If you don’t like fish, it’s better to ask before ordering a dish) |
| ¡Macarena, guapa! | Macarena, beautiful! (In Seville, the crowd cheers the procession of the Virgin Mary by shouting “beautiful!”) |
| ¿Tienen algún plato típico de Semana Santa? | Do you have any traditional Easter dishes? |
| Quisiera probar las torrijas, por favor. | I’d like to try torrijas, please. |
Frequently asked questions about travelling to Spain during Easter week
Still have questions? These Semana Santa travel tips and advice will help you plan your Easter holidays in Spain and know what to expect when you see the best Easter traditions in Spain.
Does Spain consider Easter public holidays?
Yes. In addition to Easter Sunday, most provinces have public holidays on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Some cities may also have holidays on Easter Monday. Some businesses will be closed on these days, so check ahead or have your hotel staff help you know what’s likely open.
Are Spanish shops and restaurants open during Easter?
It depends. Restaurants, shops, and supermarkets are usually open in tourist city centers. Smaller towns may not guarantee all services.
What are the best days to see a procession in Spain?
Thursday and Friday are the days with the most events. You can also attend night processions during these days, which are very evocative. Easter Sunday has just one procession, but it’s usually a big event.
Every city publishes a Semana Santa online program. Be sure to check it to know all events, time and recorridos (routes) of the parades.
How is the weather in Spain during Easter?
The weather is the first worry for Spanish people during the Easter activities. Most pasos are delicate and cannot tolerate rain. So, check the weather forecast for the entire week to choose the best day and see at least one procession.
How can I improve my Spanish for visiting Spain?
The best way to speak Spanish right away is to start practicing before your trip. Watching Spanish movies is a fun way to train your ear, and many beginner-friendly Spanish books can help expand your vocabulary.
Also, try the Rosetta Stone App. With bite-sized lessons, phrasebooks, and more, it will keep your learning on track anytime, anywhere.
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