Holy Week in Saragossa

Holy Week in Saragossa is an experience to remember. A week of devotion, passion and faith. The roar of the drums fills the streets, and the silence that falls when they are silent is overwhelming. The color of the hoods and hoods, the rare beauty of the images, the penetrating aroma of the incense, the deep passion of the brothers. Holy Week in Saragossa, that beautiful spectacle with its own personality. A few days in which Saragossa residents and visitors let themselves be carried away by tradition.

Holy Week in Saragossa, with 700 years of history and recently declared of National Tourist Interest, shows all its splendor for 9 days in which the city lives between emotion and devotion.

When is Holy Week celebrated?

The typical question that we ask ourselves every year when these dates arrive is: When is Holy Week celebrated this year? According to tradition, it is celebrated following the lunar calendar, making the festivities coincide with the first full moon after the spring equinox. That is why the dates vary from year to year.

What are the most spectacular processions in Saragossa?

• Procession of the Holy Burial.
• Procession of the Seven Words.
• Meeting procession.
• Penitential Via Crucis.
• Procession of the Palms.
• The Station of Penance.
• Procession of Tears.

Procession of the Holy Burial

The Santo Entierro procession, in which all the brotherhoods participate and which takes place on Good Friday, is the most famous and crowded. It dates back to the 17th century and ends in the Cristo de la Cama, one of the oldest images that are processed in the city.

Meeting Procession

The Encuentro procession is also particularly exciting. The brotherhoods of Jesús Camino del Calvario and San Joaquín y la Virgen de los Dolores head from their headquarters to the Plaza del Pilar where the Virgin and Jesus meet on Calle de la Amargura.

Procession of the Seven Words

This procession is also celebrated on Good Friday, just before the Holy Burial Procession begins. During its course, the Seven Words that Jesus Christ preached on the Cross during his agony are represented. The explosion of drums and bass drums stands out on this route as a symbol of the Holy Week tradition of Bajo Aragón.

Penitential Way of the Cross

On the night of Holy Wednesday, the Via Crucis of the Ecce Homo crosses the Stone Bridge, around midnight, with El Pilar in the background. A procession with the sound of carraclas, the distinctive instrument of the Brotherhood of the Most Holy Ecce Homo and Our Lady of Angustias.

Palm Procession

On Palm Sunday, the Procession of Palms is celebrated, leaving from the Church of Santa Isabel de Portugal. The Brotherhood of the Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem shows one of the most important scenes of Holy Week in Saragossa.

The Station of Penance

Also on Palm Sunday the Station of Penance takes place, leaving from the Convent of the MM. Augustinians of Santa Mónica by the Brotherhood of Nazarenes of Jesús de la Humildad. A moving act with the steps carried on a sack and with a shower of petals as it passes through Palomar Street.

Procession of Tears

This procession takes place on Holy Tuesday. In it, the brothers of the Descent accompany the Virgin of Tears from the El Salvador School to the Church of San Cayetano, remembering the five tears of the Virgin. During the journey, the emotional moments of passion stand out after each preaching and are the hallmarks of this Brotherhood.

Why are drums played during Holy Week in Saragossa?

The tradition of playing drums and bass drums during Holy Week is ancient. In the towns of lower Aragon there are testimonies dating back to the 13th century. But in Saragossa this tradition is much more recent. Undoubtedly influenced by the exciting Bajo Aragonese tradition, the brotherhood of the seven words introduced drums in the processions of 1940, and the bass drum was incorporated in 1969 by the Cofradía del Prendimiento.

How many brotherhoods procession in Saragossa?

Saragossa has 25 brotherhoods spread throughout the parishes throughout the city. 16,000 participate with more than 4,000 drums and bass drums over eight days of passion. 48 processions take place in the city throughout Holy Week.

What is the largest brotherhood in Saragossa?

The Brotherhood of the Seven Words. With more than 1,400 brothers, it is the largest brotherhood of those who parade through the streets of Saragossa. With a white habit and green hood, this brotherhood was the first to introduce drums on its first outing on Good Friday of the same year it was created.

Saragossa Brotherhood Route

If you want to learn more about Holy Week in Saragossa , don’t miss this route, a guided tour that will take you through some of the most representative churches of this Festival, San Felipe, Santa Isabel, Santo Tomás de Aquino and Santiago. You will discover the great artistic and cultural value of the steps of the brotherhoods of our Holy Week.

What origin do Easter habits have?

The hoods and habits have a medieval origin. At the time of the inquisition, these hoods and San Benitos were placed on the condemned. The processions adopt these habits for their penitential meaning. Furthermore, by covering the face the anonymity of the penitent is preserved. The conical shape of the hood alludes to the penitent’s approach to heaven. The terrel, very typical in Aragon and which can be seen in the streets of Saragossa, has its origin in the third order of Saint Francis of Assisi, who wore a hood that gave them an appearance similar to that of the current brothers. The Brotherhood of the Blood of Christ of Saragossa took up this garment for the bearers of the steps in the Holy Burial procession. That’s why they are known as Terceroles.

What to do at Easter in Saragossa?

– See all processions.
– Visit the Crystal Rosary.
– Go up to the Pilar elevator.
– Visit the La Seo Cathedral and its Tapestry Museum.

What do you eat during Holy Week in Saragossa?

Lenten stews such as chickpeas with cod, typical sweets such as torrijas, or Easter cakes.

Receptionist by night, brother by day: Interview with Ricardo Navarro

Did you know that Ricardo, our night shift receptionist, in addition to being a historian, is a brother of Holy Week in Saragossa in the Brotherhood of Christ Stripped of His Vestments? These days, as you can imagine, he is very busy. But we took him to Mi HABITACIÓN favorita for a while and, in front of a cappuccino coffee and a piece of Red Velvet, he not only revealed to us the ins and outs of Holy Week in Saragossa, but also explained to us how his double coordinates these days. life as a brother by day and receptionist by night.
When do you sleep? What to take advantage of from each of the two facets to achieve maximum energy in the other? Why do we hear drums day and night for a week on the streets of the city? Where do those hooded suits come from? What makes Holy Week in Saragossa unique? Take note!
At the end of the night shift, I eat a Mariana potato omelette and face the procession with energy.

Confraternity by day, receptionist at Hotel Sauce by night. How did you end up in these two very different occupations?

As far as brotherhood is concerned, when I was little I really liked to see the processions and especially the one of the Holy Burial on Good Friday, where all the brotherhoods came out together, so one year, together with my mother, we decided to enter a brotherhood and thus live it from within. Regarding receptionist, my fiancee works in hospitality and encouraged me to also look for work in hotels. And she looks, here I am.

How do you experience Holy Week from the Hotel Sauce?

The location where the Hotel Sauce and the Sabinas Apartments are located is unbeatable for experiencing Holy Week, since most of the brotherhoods of Saragossa run through the old town and many pass in front of the hotel and the apartments. It is also close to Plaza del Pilar, where many important Holy Week events are celebrated, and Santa Isabel/San Cayetano, where many of the brotherhoods end.

What is your role in the procession?

The truth is that I have done everything within a brotherhood: I have played the drum, the bass drum, I have carried the script, which is the insignia with the shield and name of the brotherhood that goes in front of the procession to identify it… Although what I have always liked to play the cornet, because it seems to me to be one of the best instruments of Holy Week. Currently, due to lack of time, I am one of those who carry and push the main step of my brotherhood.

We spent a whole week hearing the noise of drums all over Casco Viejo, why drums? Why that noise? What do they represent?

The sound of drums is relatively new because it was not introduced in Saragossa’s Holy Week until 1940; but it is true that now it is the most predominant. Other typical sounds are the rattles and rattles or the more traditional timbales in Aragon. All of them have the mission of accompanying the steps, evoking the emotion and feeling of Passion.

Where do those suits with peaked hoods that we normally see during Holy Week come from?

The different brotherhoods show off peculiarities in their costumes, but in most of them the clothing is made up of a habit tied with a cord or girdle, a cape, and a hood, which is that characteristic peaked cap, which comes from the Castilian Holy Week. /Andalusian; Here, in Aragon, the tercerol is more characteristic, which is smooth and with the back part pleated to the back. In my brotherhood, Christ Stripped of His Vestments, we wear a red habit, a white belt, a white cape and a white hood or red hood.

How many participants, including brothers, processions, etc… can participate in the staging of Holy Week in Saragossa?

We are a total of 24 brotherhoods-brotherhoods here in Saragossa, with an approximate number of 15,000 brothers signed up; Of them, about 7,000 take to the streets, a quite respectable number. In the case of my brotherhood we are about 50 brothers, although there are only about 37 of us. We are few because we are the one that has been created most recently in Saragossa, but we are growing little by little.

What makes Holy Week in Saragossa unique?

Holy Week in Saragossa is one of the most important in Spain and, since 2001, it has been a Festival of National Interest. What makes it unique is that it has all the steps of the complete Via Crucis, from Christ’s entry into Jerusalem to his Resurrection. In addition, it has important processions such as the Encuentro on Holy Wednesday or the Holy Burial on Good Friday, where all the brotherhoods go out.

Taking into account that you are a brother by day and a receptionist at Hotel Sauce by night, how do you manage to sleep? And also arrive at the reception fresh and with a smile every night?

The truth is that in some aspects it is difficult to combine being a brother and working in a hotel at night, such as in essay topics on weekends or not being able to go out in a procession because it ends very late. There is no secret to working at night, just rest well the day before and enjoy your work.

What can be done on the night shift to then face the procession with maximum energy?

The day you are going to go out in procession with your brotherhood you are very nervous, because you want everything to turn out great, so working makes you forget those nerves. Furthermore, at the end of the shift, and to arrive at the procession with renewed strength, there is nothing like a piece of tortilla that Mariana, our cook, makes, or having a coffee and a good homemade cake from Mi HABITACIÓN favorita.

Which night shift myth is not true?

I find it very funny when the door is closed and the clients ring the bell; When you open it, some apologize for waking you up or believe you were asleep. The truth is that there is no time to even blink!

We receive thousands of guests a year, but you also travel… When you do, what object can never be missing from your suitcase?

I travel and would love to do it more. What cannot be missing, although it may sound cliché, is a book, either on paper or in my e-book.

Holy Week in Saragossa with Sebastián Chena

Holy Week in Saragossa is engaging. The beating of the drums, the imposing images with their rare beauty, the emotion of the brothers, the rigor of their habits and the passion of the Saragossa residents make Holy Week in Saragossa a spectacle that is difficult to forget.
There are many guests and friends who, year after year, experience Holy Week with us at the Hotel Sauce. Among all of them there is one very special one. Our guest in this edition of interviews returns home every year to play the drum with his brotherhood. On this occasion he visited us with the whole family. In this edition of Interviews we have the pleasure of introducing you to Sebastián Chena.

What is so special about Holy Week in Saragossa that makes you come back year after year?

Simply put, it is my Holy Week, ours. It is different from any other. It is what I have lived since I was born. They have been participating for 41 years. There are many special moments shared with family or friends and above all there are many memories that make each Easter that has passed special, memories especially of my mother, perhaps the person who enjoyed the most of the whole family, capable of staying an entire night. We stayed awake to make a habit so that we could go out in the procession the next day. All this makes it special and unique to me.

Holy Week in Saragossa has recently been declared of international tourist interest. Do you think he deserves it?

Without a doubt. It is an Holy Week with a lot of history and tradition. There is a lot of work, time and enthusiasm invested by the brotherhoods throughout the year to keep this going and continue to grow. We have 24 brotherhoods with more than fifteen thousand penitents, the largest concentration of drums with about 3,500 participants and a unique event in Spain such as the Santo Burial Procession where we can see the entire mystery of the Passion represented. I think the recognition is deserved.

Drums and bass drums have a very special weight in this celebration. How do you live your relationship with this instrument?

The drums, indeed, are one of our hallmarks and are partly responsible for the aforementioned recognition.

Without a doubt the drum hooks you, it is difficult to put it down once you start. There are many emotions that can be felt when you are playing and this does not change over the years. The sensations are indescribable at some moments such as the exit and entry of the steps in the church, you have to experience this at least once to understand it.

Holy Week in Saragossa is clearly influenced by the drums of Bajo Aragón. Have you ever had the chance to see them?

No, I have not had the opportunity to see them in situ, because they obviously coincide with our celebrations. But I have had the opportunity to visit some towns in Bajo Aragón the days before Easter and just the drum atmosphere that can be breathed in every corner makes my hair stand on end. It has to be impressive.

On this visit you came with the whole family. What did you all think of Holy Week in Saragossa?

The truth is that we are all great lovers of Holy Week and even more so if we can enjoy it all together. Furthermore, this year has been very special because for the first time Raúl, the youngest of the family with his five years old and his hype, has shown us that the enthusiasm of these children is the best boost for our Holy Week.
41 years later history repeats itself.

Holy Week in Saragossa is an overwhelming spectacle regardless of one’s beliefs. We receive people from all over the world. How would you explain Holy Week and the way we celebrate it to someone not related to our culture?

Holy Week is the date on which Christians remember the Passion of Christ.
It is a celebration with a lot of history and tradition. The streets of Saragossaare transformed, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, into the stage where the processional parades represent and relive those moments of Passion, intermingling devotion and meditation with the color of capirotes and pozoles and the roar of their drums.
In case anyone wants to know more about our Holy Week, I leave you the links to two radio programs, where they explain it very well.
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/radiografia-exterior/radiografia-exterior-tambores-zaragoza-75-anos-redoblando-semana-santa-10-04-14/2499567/
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/culturtheka/culthurteka-musica-semana-santa-15-04-14/2513370/

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you in a hotel?

I don’t know if it has been the combination of a lot of luck with excess zeal in the preparation of each trip that has ensured that we have no surprises in any hotel. Now, yes, we have the gift of getting into the places we know. We know what we shouldn’t and at the most inopportune moments.

What absurd object cannot be missing in your suitcase?

Specifically none and generally all. I still don’t understand why it seems that instead of going out for the weekend we go moving and then barely open the luggage.

There is one day less until Easter next year. Are you one of those who counts the days?

Yes, and even more so now that I have a talking calendar. This last year, day after day, my son has been reminding me that this year he was going to play the bass drum and he did it with so much enthusiasm that he even broke the head.
There is also one less day left to share all these moments with those who make it possible for us every year, the SAUCE FAMILY.