The different brotherhoods of Catalonia finalize the preparations for their Holy Week processions. Some have a great historical tradition or very important roots in their municipalities, as is the case of Verges (Baix Empordà), Tarragona, Badalona (Barcelona), l'Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona) and Vic (Osona).
All the processions detailed below are part of the iconic tradition in Catalonia and commemorate a very important moment for Catholics, who celebrate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, although they also play a crucial role in popular culture.
The Verges procession is held every Holy Thursday in the town and is based on a book in Yers de fra. Antoni de Sant Jeroni, who explains the last hours of Jesus Christ, with The Dance of Death as the central act of the event.
The procession leaves at midnight to walk the streets under the light of the torches, with the culminating moment of The Dance of Death, a representation of medieval origin in which five skeletons dance to the sound of a drum, as explained by the Cultural Heritage of the Generalitat.
The body of La Danza de la Muerte is made up of 10 members, who are distributed in groups of five people, dressed as skeletons, in charge of the choreography, while the rest, in black tunics, lead the setting, as explained by the Verges Town Hall.
After the tribute to the Amados de Mataró, Mataró celebrates his version of the Sevillian 'Madrugá', with the same intensity, the steps in the 'costalero' style and the relationship between mother and son at the end of the 'meeting'. And, as a climax to this very special night, the Silent Night procession leaves the Basilica of Santa María. In addition, it has as an addition that, for years, the procession of the image of the Virgin Mary of Sorrows has been taking place, which presides over the homonymous chapel throughout the year and is the baroque jewel of Mataró.
The Procession of the Mysteries or Procession of Silence is a Catholic tradition in Badalona with deep historical roots in Catalonia and in the city itself, one of the oldest in all of Spain, which is celebrated on the night of Holy Thursday.
As explained by the Badalona City Council, around 9:00 p.m. the Song of the Passion takes place on the main façade of the church of Santa María, which gives way to a ceremony that leads the steps to take a tour of the streets of Dalt de la Vila, although it also passes through some neighborhoods of Coll i Pujol.
The only illumination during the tour is that of the candles of the participants, also accompanied by a silence that is only broken by the passage of the constabularies and the repetition of the song of Record i Memòria, traditionally recited by children.
Another of the historical processions in Catalonia is the Holy Burial of Tarragona, which starts and starts at Plaça del Rei and has a long route through the old part of the city.
Cultural Heritage explains that the procession, which leaves on Good Friday at 7:30 p.m., has more than 3,000 participants and follows a strict order marked by tradition, where each brotherhood has its position and is responsible for taking one or more steps. The procession, which appears documented for the first time around the year 1550, is one of the longest in Catalonia.
One of the most peculiar brotherhoods is that of 15 1 Hospitalet de Llobregat, the only one considered secular because it has no direct link with the Catholic Church, but rather its origins are rooted in popular Andalusian folklore, despite the religious significance of the celebration.
The brotherhood began in the 1970s, when a group of Andalusians who were in a bar in the Pubilla Cases neighborhood longingly contemplated the images of Holy Week on television and, spontaneously, ended up improvising a procession with a bar table and an image of the virgin.
Despite the fact that 15 1 organizes Holy Week processions on several iconic days, such as those of La Borriquita and Jesús Captivo on Palm Sunday, the departures of the steps of Jesús Nazareth and Our Lady of Sorrows on the morning of Sunday stand out. Good Friday and that of the Christ of the Expiration at night.
The procession of the Holy Burial of Girona is celebrated on Good Friday and leaves the Cathedral of Santa María Assumpta in the town and, after its journey, around 11 pm, there will be a performance of honors in the Holy Cross, the song of the Crec in a Déu and the final blessing.
In addition to the procession, there will be complementary activities, such as the Exhibition of Steps in the Plaza de la Catedral (from noon to night) and the departure of the Maniple de Manaies to collect the banner, at 6:30 p.m.
One of the most iconic processions in Vic is the Procession of the Armed, traditionally known as the Penance Procession. Its origins date back to the year 1750 and it is the most well-known act carried out by the Venerable Consecration of the Virgen de los Dolores de Vic.
It is celebrated on Palm Sunday at 9:00 p.m. and runs through the streets of the historic center of Vic. As explained by the Vic City Council, the procession is regulated by a collection of customs from 1883 and, each year, has more than 500 participants who They walk the streets of the city in a sepulchral silence, broken only by drums, bells, psalms and songs.
