Moratalla, Semana Santa

Semana Santa in Moratalla

In Moratalla, they say, there is no room for silence, and never has a truer word been spoken in the case of the drumming on the Thursday, Friday and Sunday of the local Holy Week celebrations. No explanation exists regarding the origin of this ancient collective rite which so characterizes the towns fiestas, and indeed the fiestas of other Spanish towns,but it´s distinctive, unforgettable, and a novelty for visitors and residents from other towns who have no concept of the value of a good night´s sleep until renting a townhouse here during Semana Santa.There´s something almost anarchistic in these three nights of drumming, many of the tunics worn by the Tamboristas displaying the symbol of a cat, the sign of rebellion.

But there are also the religious processions, including one in silence which stands in stark contrast to the incessant drumbeats of the more renowned days and nights..........The days on which the Tambor is played are Jueves Santo, Viernes Santo and Domingo de Resurrección, Thursday, Friday and Resurrection Sunday.
Also of note are the processions of Cristo de la Sangre, of the Prendimiento, of Silence, of the Santo entierro and the act of Jesucristo Aparecido, Patron of the town.

Viernes de Dolores, Good Friday
11.00 Childrens Drum Procession, From the local schools, finishing at the Monumento al Nazareno in Calle Mayor
21.30 Vía Crucis, from the Convento de San Francisco, through the old centre to the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. This is a very atmospheric Via Crucis through the old quarter, with readings and a theatrical performance en route at each stage of the cross,  terminating in the fake crucifixion of Jesus in the Church Square, a moment of hair raising tension and drama which is a truly memorable experience

Palm Sunday, Domingo de ramos
11.00 Palm Sunday Procession, from the Convento to the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.

Holy Monday,Lunes Santo
20.00 Traslado de Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, from the Ermita de Santa Ana to the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.

                    
Holy Wednesday ,Miercoles Santo
22.00 Procession of the Cristo de la Sangre, from the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.
Pasos: .El Cristo de la Columna. Casa Cordoner, Madrid.

Holy Thursday, Jueves Santo
No need to set your alarm clocks, drumming from first thing in the morning...
Literally thousands of tamboristas wander around the town, wearing their gowns of the Nazarenos playing their tambours. Every bar is full of them. Every street is full of them. Every eardrum is full of them........

22.00 Procesión del Prendimiento, Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, featuring the image of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno and Cristo de la Columna.
Pasos: 1. Nuestro Padre Jesús de Nazareno. E. Domingo Blázquez. 2. Virgen de La Piedad. E. Casa Cordoner, Madrid. 3. La Verónica. E. Domingo Blázquez

23.00 Procession of Silence, leaving from the Parroquía de Ntra Sra de la Asunción.
Pasos: 1.Cristo del Rayo. Gregorio Molera. 2.San Juan. Roque López. 3.La Dolorosa. Roque López.

23.45 Meeting of the two processions, Plaza de la Farola to the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción

Holy Friday, Viernes santo
Drums continue from early in the morning until nightfall, that´s supposing they stopped drumming the night before ......the drummers congregating in the centre of the old town.
9am to 11am, childrens drumming, La Farola, old town.
21.30 Procesión del Santo Entierro, Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. This is the largest procession of the week so far with 5 pasos, including two by Roque López, a pupil of Francisco Salzillo.
Pasos: 1.Virgen de la Piedad. E. Casa Cordoner, Madrid. 2.Santo Sepulcro. Casa Cordoner. 3.San Juan. Roque López. 4.Virgen de la Soledad. Lozano Roca. 5.Dolorosa. Roque López.

The drumming stops........blissful sleep.......

Holy Saturday, Sabado Santo
10pm  Easter Vigil, Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción

Resurrection Sunday
Act of the resurrection.
12.00 The tamborists gather in respectful since in the Plaza in front of the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. As the figure of the patron saint appears at the door of the church, the tamboristas all bang their drums like mad, acclaiming the figure of the patron of Moratalla, as he leaves the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in order to bless the town and its farmland from the balcony of the Plaza de la Iglesia, before returning to the Church.
The drummers are back!


Sunday night. Blissful sleep.