Holy Week is one of the most important celebrations in the whole of Andalusia. If you add to this a setting such as that of the Nasrid city, Granada becomes Golgotha itself. Neighbourhoods such as the Albaicín, Zaidín or Realejo, collected in the monumental visits around the Nasrid city, Oway Tours is in charge of providing you with the greatest comfort with its Granada Free Tour. All together with a white mantle of the Sierra Nevada as a postcard, collect among their streets some of the most special moments of the week of passion that have made it a Festival of International Tourist Interest since 2009. If you are interested in knowing more, read on to find out more about this century-old tradition.
Holy Week Days in Granada
Granada has a very complete Holy Week, with 32 brotherhoods spread out over the different days, the most important being Holy Thursday and Holy Friday. Even so, not only do all the events take place during this week, but from Friday of Sorrows (Friday before Holy Sunday) the streets of the city are prepared to host the most eagerly awaited celebration. The Cathedral appears as the epicenter of the city on these seven days of the year. So you cannot leave the city without having seen it in all its splendor. For this, Oway Tours offers the Guided Tours of Cathedral and Royal Chapel of Granada, the best way to visit it.
Friday of Sarrows
On this day, many brotherhoods end their Lenten worship and some Stations of the Cross are held in the streets of the city. A good example of this is Santa María de la Alhambra which leaves at 19:00 around the Puerta del Vino. Another example is Jesús del Rescate, who is taken to the Church of La Magdalena at 8pm.
Saturday of Passion
In tune with the previous day, Saturday, the eve of one of the great days of Granada’s Holy Week, there is the Way of the Cross like that of Jesús del Amor y la Entrega at 5pm.
The highlight of this day is the celebration of the Pregón (Proclamation) de Jesús de la Paciencia, at 20:30 in the San Bartolomé y Santiago Hall of Residence.
Palm Sunday
On this day, a total of five brotherhoods carry out the Penitence Station. The most outstanding is La Borriquilla, which begins Easter. You can’t miss the hundreds of children dressed in Hebrew that accompany the brotherhood. The others are the La Cena, which comes from the Realejo neighbourhood, La Sentencia from the Albaicín neighbourhood, the Despojado from the Figares neighbourhood and the last to join, the Cautivo.
Holy Monday
Five is the number of the brotherhoods that will arrive at the Cathedral on this day. Starting with the Brotherhood of El Trabajo, one of the most popular that comes from the Zaidín neighbourhood, the Brotherhood of los Dolores with a military past, the Brotherhood of Jesus del Rescate from the 18th century, the Brotherhood of el Huerto from the Santiago neighbourhood and the Brotherhood of Christ of St. Augustine, one of the most important devotional images in the city.
Holy Tuesday
On Holy Tuesday there are four brotherhoods that walk the streets of the Nasrid city. This day is mixed with recently created brotherhoods with the oldest. The Brotherhood of la Lanzada, one of the most beautiful mysteries of the city, the Brotherhood of the Via Crucis with a totally silent procession and considered the oldest along with that of St. Augustine. The Brotherhood of la Esperanza from one of the most central squares of the city and the Brotherhood of la Cañilla, thus known for the reed that carries Jesus.
Holy Wednesday
On the day that marks the halfway point of Holy Week, five brotherhoods go out in procession again. Among them is the Brotherhood of los Gitanos (the Gypsies), you cannot miss it in the streets of Sacromonte in the early hours of the morning amidst the candles and the singing of the gypsies of the neighbourhood. This neighborhood is the cradle of flamenco and great artists. So it is highly recommended to climb to the top of Sacromonte to enjoy the views. We recommend you to do it with the Guided tour of the Albaicín and Sacromonte, an unrepeatable experience.
The Brotherhood of los Estudiantes with a Christ from the 17th century, the Brotherhood of las Penas from the church of San Matías, the Brotherhood of las Tres Caídas (the Three Fallen), one of the most expected of the day and the Brotherhood of the Nazarene from the convent of San José.
Holy Thursday
On the most important days of the week, the most renowned brotherhoods in the city take part in a procession. On Holy Thursday, the Salesian Brotherhood from the school of the same name, the Brotherhood of La Concha, one of the most beloved virgins and whose name comes from Concepción (Conception), the Brotherhood of La Aurora, from the Albaicín district, the Brotherhood of La Estrella from the church of San Cristóbal and the Brotherhood of El Silencio, whose Christ dates back to the 17th century.
Holy Friday
Little by little we are coming to the end of Passion Week, on this day five brotherhoods parade through the centre of the city. These are the Brotherhood of the los Ferroviarios from the district of San Lazaro. The Brotherhood of los Favores (the Favours) from the church of San Cecilio, the Brotherhood of the Escolapios whose virgin procession through Rome in 2000 to be received by St. John Paul II. Finally, the Brotherhood of the Santo Sepulcro and the Brotherhood of the Chias, named after the characters in the procession that date back to the Inquisition.
Holy Saturday
On this day all eyes are focused on the Alhambra as the Virgin of las Angustias is paraded from this unique place. You cannot miss the departure from the Nasrid complex on the afternoon of Holy Saturday. This jewel of the city, as is the Alhambra in Granada, is open to the public throughout the year. To get to know every corner, we recommend you do it with our Guided Tours Alhambra.
Easter Sunday
Finally, unlike the other provincial capitals where only one brotherhood takes part in the procession on Easter Sunday, there are three in Granada. The Brotherhood of el Resucitado (the Resurrected) from the Vergeles district, the Brotherhood of el Resucitado (the Resurrected) from the Arabial district and the Facundillos procession, where children are the protagonists and a baby Jesus with a cross in his hand is carried in procession.
