Easter in Madrid

Might sound like I’m stating the obvious, but Easter is a very religious time in Madrid. There are a number of religious parades that take place on various days throughout the city and some of them are quite a spectacle. So regardless of whether or not you celebrate Easter, you should definitely try and get down to one or two!

Here are a few of the main parades, but there are loads more!

Cristo de la Fe y el Perdón (Palm Sunday)

• Starts out from Basílica Pontificia de San Miguel at 7pm on 1 April. 
• Metro: Sol (L1, L2, L3), Ópera (L2, L5, R) and Tirso de Molina (L1) 
• Cercanías: Sol (C3, C4) 

Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno "El Pobre" y María Santísima del Dulce Nombre (Maundy Thursday)

• Starts out from Iglesia de San Pedro "El Viejo" at 7pm on 5 April. 
• Metro: Tirso de Molina (L1) and La Latina (L5) 
• Cercanías: Sol (C3, C4) 

María Santísima de los Siete Dolores and Santo Entierro (Good Friday)

• Starts out from Parroquia de Santa Cruz at 7.30pm on 6 April. 
• Metro: Tirso de Molina (L1) and Sol (L1, L2, L3) 
• Cercanías: Sol (C3, C4) 

Procesión del Silencio (Good Friday)

• Starts out from Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo de la Fe at 7pm on 6 April. 
• Metro: Atocha (L1) y Antón Martín (L1) 
• Cercanías: Atocha (todas las líneas) 

El Divino Cautivo (Good Friday)

• Starts out from Colegio Calasancio de los PP Escolapios at 7.30pm on 6 April. 
• Metro: Lista (L4), Núñez de Balboa (L5, L9).

Procesión de la Soledad (Holy Saturday)

• Starts out from Real Iglesia de San Ginés at 4.30pm on 7 April. 
• Metro: Ópera (L2, L5, R) and La Latina (L5) 
• Cercanías: Sol (C3, C4) 

Virgen Dolorosa (Holy Saturday)

• Starts out from Iglesia-Basílica de Nuestro Padre Jesús de Medinaceli de los PP Capuchinos at 8am on 7 April. 
• Metro: Atocha (L1) and Antón Martín (L1) 
• Cercanías: Atocha (todas las líneas) 

On Easter Sunday head down to Plaza Mayor at midday, which is where the main event will take place. It’s called the “Tamborada del Domingo de Resurección”, and will involve this year’s selected Brotherhood beating a constant rhythm on a selection of drums. The beats are strong, to the extent that tremors can be felt in the nearby buildings, the idea of which is to represent the earth tremors which supposedly occurred when Jesus died on the cross.

If you’re hoping to find somewhere to eat out on Easter Sunday then fear not, you should find somewhere quite easily. A lot of restaurants will close (if anything just because it’s a Sunday) but a lot of restaurants will stay open, especially around the more touristy areas. There will also be lots of bars open in the evening for a big Easter party, so that’s not to be missed either.

So there you go, if you’re here over Easter make sure you catch a parade or two and treat yourself to a nice Easter lunch!

N.B. Don’t be alarmed if some of the religious costumes bear a reseblance to those of the Klu Klux Klan; they’re very different!

photo via: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/8468532/MyExpat-group-blog-roundup-cloud-computing-an-Easter-feud-and-electric-bikes.html