Madrid celebrates Easter by uniting tradition, culture and faith

Today the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, accompanied by Tourism Councillor Almudena Maíllo and Centro District Councillor Carlos Segura, presented the events and cultural activities planned for Easter in Madrid. Representatives from the city’s brotherhoods, the Archdiocese of Madrid and the Madrid Artisan Bakers Association (ASEMPAS) also attended the presentation.

The programme brings tradition, culture and faith together to highlight the immense historical, cultural and culinary richness of Easter in Madrid as well as the great tourist appeal of the celebration, which Madrid City Council aspires to have declared a Fiesta of Regional Tourist Interest. This year's official poster features the image of Cristo de Medinaceli.

Music will be a key attraction this Easter in Madrid. One of this year's new features is the 1st Meeting of Processional Bands, which will take place in Plaza Mayor on Sunday 22 March at 12 noon. For the first time, the bands of Madrid's religious brotherhoods will come together in an event showcasing the rich musical tradition of the capital's processions, with over 150 musicians from Jesús El Pobre music band and La Lira de Pozuelo symphonic band taking part.

The music programme will begin today with a special concert by the Madrid Municipal Symphonic Band, conducted by Jan Cober and featuring soloist Javier Franco. The audience will be able to enjoy a selection of pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and Gustav Mahler.

Next week, the 19th Organ Music Series in the Church of San Ginés will begin. This year’s edition highlights the important role of female organists with the programme Women on the Organ. The church will host Mirjam Laetitia Haag, organist at St. Wenzel Church in Naumburg (24 March); Saskia Roures, teacher at the Higher Conservatory of Music of Castilla y León (27 March); and Pilar Cabrera, organist at Valladolid Cathedral (31 March). Performances will begin at 6.30pm, with free admission until capacity is reached.

Rounding out the music events, the concert Contemplation: Music for Silence, performed by the Eresma Guitar Duo, will be held on 23 and 25 March at the Church of Santa Cruz and San Andrés Church, respectively, and a series of symphonic choral music concerts in Madrid’s churches will be held at San Miguel Basilica. The first performance will be by the Villa de Las Rozas Choir, on Tuesday the 24th at 8pm, and the second by the Gaudeamus Choir, on Thursday the 26th at 8pm.

Processions in different districts of the city

A very special atmosphere will suffuse the neighbourhoods and streets of the Spanish capital as the processions of its brotherhoods and confraternities take to the streets in penitence from Good Friday (27 March) to Holy Saturday (4 April). Puerta del Sol is the official hub of the main processions, and over 600 chairs will be set up so the public can watch in comfort as the processions pass by the Casa de Correos building. The city council will also decorate the processional route with six banners made by centuries-old Madrid businesses, along with looms and fencing created especially for the occasion.

The first images carried in processions will be Cristo del Perdón and La Virgen de la Misericordia (Puente de Vallecas), followed by others such as Nuestro Padre Jesús del Amor (Borriquita), El Santísimo Cristo de la Fe y la Salud, El Divino Cautivo, María Santísima de los Siete Dolores, Jesús Nazareno and La Santísima Virgen de la Soledad, El Cristo de Medinaceli and El Santísimo Cristo de los Alabarderos. All of this will be accompanied by a religious programme centred around La Almudena Cathedral which will include events such as the Stations of the Cross on Holy Wednesday (1 April) and the Easter Vigil on the night of Holy Saturday (4 April). A Stations of the Cross procession will also be held in El Retiro Park on Good Friday (3 April).

A dozen saetas sung as processions pass by

Easter in Madrid wouldn’t be the same without its saetas (a type of flamenco song), which will arrive in the middle of the week, filling the city’s streets with their distinctive melody on 12 separate occasions between Palm Sunday (29 March) and Holy Saturday (4 April), as some of the main processions pass by.

The first saetas will be sung by Esperanza Garrido, from the balcony of Casa de la Villa on Palm Sunday during the processions of La Borriquita (4.30pm), El Silencio (5.30pm), and Los Estudiantes (6pm). On Holy Wednesday, Juanelo will sing from the balcony of Casa de Correos in Puerta del Sol as the Procession of Cristo de los Gitanos passes by around 9pm. On Holy Thursday, Ismael de la Rosa and Saray Muñoz will take over. The former will sing from Casa de la Villa as the Procession of Jesús el Pobre goes by (7.30pm) and from Casa de Correos as the images of Jesús del Gran Poder and La Macarena pass by (9.30pm). Saray Muñoz will pay tribute to the same images with her saetas, from Hotel Moderno (9.15pm).

On Good Friday, flamenco singer Fernando Caballo will showcase his artistry and emotion, singing from Casa de la Villa during the processions of Los Siete Dolores (9pm) and Cristo de los Alabarderos (9.15pm). That same day, José "El Berenjeno" will sing as Cristo de Medinaceli meets La Virgen de la Soledad (9.50pm), from a platform in front of Madrid’s regional Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Internal Affairs. Lucía Beltrán will give herself over to the art of the saeta, singing from Casa de Correos (10.15pm) as El Divino Cautivo passes by. The flamenco singer will perform again on Holy Saturday during the procession of La Virgen de la Soledad y el Cristo Yacente, from the balcony of Casa de la Villa (6.30pm). All times are approximate and subject to change depending on the processions.

Five centuries of brotherhood tradition, heritage and gastronomy

To encourage a deeper understanding of the history of Easter in Madrid, Plaza Mayor is hosting an exhibition that allows visitors to admire the heritage, cultural and religious value of the brotherhoods that are the heart and soul of Madrid's Holy Week. Conceived as a journey through five centuries of history and devotion, it introduces us to the origins of the brotherhoods, religious effigies and floats responsible for the personality and uniqueness of Easter in Madrid, from Puente de Vallecas to Carabanchel to Delicias, Villaverde and Barrio de Las Letras (the Literary Quarter).

Madrid City Council, in partnership with CEU, has published 80,000 copies of the official Easter program, twice as many as last year. They will be distributed at tourist information points, hotels, churches and district councils. In addition, a nationwide campaign to promote Easter has been underway since 1 March, targeting cities such as Barcelona, Valladolid, Valencia, Alicante, Burgos, Zamora and Zaragoza.

Traditional Easter fare is another attraction associated with the celebration, and this year’s programme offers a very special itinerary: the Sweet Passions Route, which invites us to experience the holiday through our taste buds, primarily through torrijas (Spain’s answer to French toast). A selection of patisseries, bakeries and restaurants will be offering everything from the most classic to the most innovative versions of this traditional dessert.

Madrid’s Easter celebrations will come to a resounding close on Easter Sunday (5 April) with the tamborrada drum parade by the Brotherhood of La Exaltación de la Santa Cruz de Zaragoza in Plaza Mayor, at 1pm. /

More information at esMADRID.com