Semana Santa
Easter in Spain lasts a week – a Holy Week or Semana Santa – and it is a religious festival, taken seriously in every corner of the country.
During Holy Week, you’ll be hard pressed to find Easter eggs beyond those in the supermarkets aimed at British ex-pats, and the Easter bunny – a Pennsylvanian/German tradition, now thoroughly Americanised – will be at best elusive.
What you will see are parades and processions in almost every town and village, with elaborate floats and marching bands. Those taking part will be carrying life-sized statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. And because it’s a serious religious festival, it’s quite solemn: you may even see female mourners dressed in black outfits and veils carrying candles in remembrance of the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
Traditional Tapas at Shepherds Market
Easter is a family time in Spain when many take time off work, and small family businesses close – but it wouldn’t be Spain if it didn’t include special foods. You won’t see much chocolate, but if you have a sweet tooth, you can try torrijas – a kind of French toast doused in sugar and honey. Or perhaps you’d prefer pestiños, deep fried fritters flavoured with anis and orange, or sometimes with cinnamon.
In Valencia, you’ll find Easter cakes or Monas de Pascua – sweet bread rings with whole eggs baked into them, and sprinkled with candied pieces of fruit and sugar. Or buñuelos – fried dough fritters.
If you are very lucky, you might be invited to join a Spanish family for East Sunday dinner of garlic soup (featuring a baked egg) or seafood. But if you can’t get to Spain in time for Easter, there’s always El Pirata – Mayfair’s famous tapas restaurant – in Down Street. Try the party menu of nine dishes for parties of six and above.
