Easter in Spain is a big and important holiday that is celebrated all week in cities around the country. This holy week, Semana Santa in Spanish, is celebrated by carrying statues of Jesus and Mary around in so-called "processions" or parades in the cities.
Easter program in Nerja
We will be posting the program for Easter in Nerja 2025 here shortly!
See the program for the 2024 Easter celebrations in Nerja further down in this blog post.
Despite religion playing a diminishing role in the lives of many Spaniards, Easter continues to be a very large public display of Spain's religious roots with processions taking place all over the country. Each procession has its own meaning and atmosphere and is the culmination of much work by the various brotherhoods that play such an integral part as part of each city's celebrations.
Easter in Malaga
One of the most famous and largest Easter celebrations and processions takes place in Málaga, just a 45-minute drive from Nerja, but Nerja's celebrations are certainly no slouch either.
More about Easter in Nerja
In Nerja, the 'Brotherhood of Jesus Christ of Nazareth' and the 'Brotherhood of Our Father Jesus and Holy Mary of the Helpless' are just two of the organisations that, along with others, take on important roles during one of the city's biggest annual festivals, by organising processions of religious figures through the narrow streets of Nerja. These events are deeply rooted in hundreds of years of tradition and combined with the strong Christian symbolism in each ritual, they create a very strong atmosphere. The combination of the crowds lining each parade route, the incense, the music played by the municipal band and the beautiful, narrow streets of Nerja make it a beautiful sight for any visitor while they are here and offers a side of this beautiful sea and sand town that you might not expect when you planned your trip here.
This is something you shouldn't miss during Easter in Nerja
If you want to celebrate Easter in Nerja, you can't miss the Easter Sunday procession that passes through Calle Carretas. This is a street in the old town, beyond the tourist crowds around the Balcon de Europa, where residents line the narrow street with red carpet and cover it with freshly picked herbs like oregano and thyme for the procession to pass over.
More about Easter in Spain…
Here is a brief overview of terms and information that will hopefully contribute to the Easter experience and give you an idea of what you see when a procession passes.
Tronos: The thrones are the heart of every procession and are called 'Tronos' in Spanish, which literally means 'throne'. Each event usually has two thrones, one for a statue of Jesus Christ and another for the Virgin Mary. Depending on the procession, these centerpieces can be quite extravagant with fresh flowers and candles surrounding the idol. The thrones are very heavy, in the larger cities they can weigh several tons, meaning they can only be carried for short distances before the bearers, who can consist of up to a hundred people, need to rest. You are also likely to see spectators throwing flower petals over the thrones as they pass, especially during Easter Sunday parades.
Costaleros: These are members of the organizing brotherhood who carry the thrones through the streets. They are grouped in front and behind the thrones as well as along the sides. The raising and lowering is coordinated via a series of bell rings and they usually wear clothing that matches the rest of the brotherhood members. Sometimes, especially during the Easter Sunday procession, a blessing will be shouted out by an individual Costalero to which the others will respond by shouting 'Viva, Viva, Viva!'.
Cofradias : These are the brotherhoods that form an integral part of Easter. They own and maintain the statues and floats used during the festive period and organize the processions that take place. It is a significant honor to be part of one of the local brotherhoods (there are several) where membership is traditionally passed down from one family member to another.
Brass Band : This time of year is particularly busy for the municipal brass bands who take part in many processions. Each throne is accompanied by its own musical escort, which opens up the possibility for bands from neighbouring towns to take part. Nerja's celebrations often include organisations from Velez-Malaga.
Nazarenos : These are men, women and children dressed in robes who precede the thrones and often carry a lantern or candle and sometimes walk barefoot. They walk in pairs with overseers known as 'Diputados de Tramo' who move among them to keep everyone organized. Nazarenos are often a bit puzzling to visitors due to the pointed hat (Capirote) they wear, which is more commonly associated with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) who adopted the costume early in the organization's history i.e. here the KKK has unfortunately stolen its style from this religious tradition. The hood is there to hide the faces of the Nazarenos and show their shame at the crucifixion.
Saeta : At pre-planned points along the procession route, Saetas take place, a song of the flamenco "cante hondo" (deep song) genre sung by an elderly or particularly respected member of the village or town. In Nerja, one of these often takes place on the Balcon de Europa and another halfway along Calle Pintada. These are often particularly moving parts of the procession and are well worth seeing.
Easter 2024 Program in Nerja
SATURDAY MARCH 23: PARADE WITH SMALL THRONES
Schedule: the procession begins at 5:00 PM at the gate of the Church of El Salvador at the Balcony of Europe with a blessing by the parish priest Antonio Jesús Carrasco.
Itinerary: The tour starts at Paseo Balcón de Europa, C/ Puerta del Mar, C/ Pintada, C/ de la Cruz, C/ Ánimas, C/ Granada, Plaza Cavana and C/ Carmen, and then back to the Church of El Salvador.
PALM SUNDAY MARCH 24
11:30: Palm blessing at the door of the church Ermita de las Angustias where the parish priest gives his blessing. Location: Ermita de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias
12.00: High Mass.
7:00 PM: High Mass.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 27
19:30: Processional parade: Nuestro padre Jesús Cautivo y María Santísima de los Desamparados 2024.
MAID THURSDAY MARCH 28
19:00: Santos Oficios y Hora Santa en el monumento.
20.00: Procession - Nuestro padre Jesus Nazareno y María Stma. de la Esperanza (Our Father and Hope, Jesus Christ).
GOOD FRIDAY MARCH 29
11:00: Worship at the monument.
1:00 PM: Via Crucis next to the monument (Via Crucis is the path Jesus walked from the place where He was flogged to Mount Calvary where He was crucified).
6:00 PM: Holy Offices.
20.00: Processional parade - Santo Entierro y María Santísima de los Dolores (Jesus' funeral procession).
EASTER EVE MARCH 30
10:00 - 19:00: Veneration of the Santo Cristo de la Virgen de las Angustias (veneration of the Holy and Crucified Jesus).
7:00 PM: Easter Vigil.
EASTER DAY MARCH 31
10:30: High Mass.
12:00H: Processional parade - Jesus Resucitado y Maria Santísima de la Asunción (Resurrection of Jesus). See the picture below which route the procession takes.
7:00 PM: High Mass.
Overview of the route the procession takes on the different days:
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