Holy Week is a religious and cultural event worldwide, always marked by the tradition of devotion and Christian sentiment, but they also constitute holidays of the year in which joy and family union are protagonists.
Many Holy Week customs have prevailed in communities around the world over the years.
Some, like masses and religious services, have spread to many nations.
Other traditions are characteristic of the nation or community where they arose and are extremely curious, with that mixture of spirituality, faith and art.
Traditions that celebrate Holy Week
We share below some of the most curious Easter traditions in the world:
1. “La Dansa de la Mort” in Girona, Spainaña
The Dance of Death is one of the oldest and most original Holy Week celebrations, seen in a dance that shows the equality of all beings before the Final Judgment.
It takes place every Holy Thursday and several people dressed as skeletons advance to the sound of drums.
guadañas and ashes remind all attendees that the time of the Final Judgment has come.
2. Tamboradas, Albacete, Spainaña
Tamboradas are an extremely popular celebration in Albacete. As its name indicates, they consist of the union of the sound of more than 20 thousand drums.
In addition, people wear black robes and red neckerchiefs.
The first drumming takes place:
- The Friday of Sorrows (before Easter),
- the next on Holy Wednesday, and
- It ends with the collection of the Oración del Huerto Procession.
On Holy Thursday the drums begin their rolls at midnight and continue until Friday afternoon.
On Glory Saturday, the last one takes place, which ends on Easter Sunday.
3. Giant Bonfires in Finland
In Finland, a curious tradition takes place on the Saturday before Easter.
Giant bonfires are multiplied in all the towns of the country to drive away the evil spirits that swarm before Easter.
It is also a tradition that is said to attract good luck and prosperity to crops.
4. The Burning of Judas, Brazil
In several Brazilian towns, the so-called Burning of Judas takes place, which stages the persecution of Jesus by the Romans before the crucifixion.
In addition, Brazilians make straw dolls that symbolize Judas and burn them in the streets as a sign of the end of Lent.
