Semana Santa in Southern Spain

We experienced Semana Santa (Easter Holy week) for the first time last year in Alhaurin el Grande. A deeply religious week of celebrations, and whether you’re religious or not, it’s incredible. As the week progresses, there are recreations of the last supper, the crucifixion and many, many parades through the town. Shops, houses, railings, civic squares are cleaned and painted. Banners hung, extra lights put up, roads cleared, chairs line the streets and everything smells of incense. Semana Santa matters a lot here and the whole community does it very, very well.

And so, we arrived in the town this weekend ready for it all to start.

We wake up to the morning sun and gently start the day. That first day on holiday when you realise just how tired you are. Your body starts to relax as you shed the mental load from back home. I sit on the balcony and could stay forever. Drinking tea, eating biscuits. One more cuppa? Oh go on then... Sitting here we can see a big group of people, a community, building structures for the week ahead. They’re singing and laughing, testing out microphones, practicing instruments and putting final touches to the baton twirling routines.

When we finally make a move, it’s to slowly venture into the hillside town of Mijas. Only about 10 miles from our house, it’s the closest real tourist spot. It’s dreamy spending a lazy Saturday here. Seeing the town prepare for the week ahead, idly wandering around the shops, enjoying a nice family meal. The teenagers want to go back to their favourite restaurant (El Mirador, epic views!) for spaghetti carbonara. And so we do.

Sunday dawns, the church bells ring, calling out to the town that it’s Palm Sunday. Everyone appears in their finery. Week in, week out, Sunday best is still very much a thing here. And nothing is open. It is very much a day of rest.

I sit back on my balcony and I soak it all in. Sun out, drink in hand, I look at the majestic view and I really listen. There’s cockerels cock-a-doodle-doing, birds tweeting, families laughing, music humming. The mighty lemon tree on the patio is fit to bursting. It’s covered in lemon blossom and the scent fills the air. Rooted to my spot, I read the Semana Santa leaflet. They’ll be evening processions pass our front door on Thursday and Friday. I watched in awe last year and I can’t wait to see it all again.

Semana Santa feels grand, full of history, tradition and ceremony. It’s also full of local people. Children taking part for the first time, proud parents watching on. Teens in the marching bands. Ladies and gents getting the honour of leading the processions and carrying the religious artefacts. Watch more closely and there’s more local drama too… As the procession passed last year, we welcomed a speedy pregnant lady through our front door as she needed to vomit mid-parade. The heat, the robes and the incense are a lot, to be fair.

It’s not only our town where these celebrations happen, but right across Spain and much of the catholic world too. This time we’re in Spain for a week, and as we spend our time out and about, we’ll see the celebrations right across Andalucia. So from my balcony, as I plan out the coming days, I take a moment to very much appreciate my Spanish life where the sun is always out, the pace of life is deliciously slow, and it's all very much centred around a big happy community. Let the festivities begin!