La Semana Santa de Málaga 2025: A profound cultural and religious celebration
✝️ Holy Week 2025 in Málaga
Holy Week in Málaga, known in Spanish as “Semana Santa en Málaga,” is the annual commemoration of the Passion of Jesus in Málaga, Spain. It takes place during the last week of Lent, immediately before Easter, and is one of the city’s main cultural and religious events. The event was declared a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest of Spain in 1965.
Key Details
- Observed by: Málaga, Spain
- Type: Religious, Historical, Cultural
- Significance: Commemoration of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus
- Celebrations: Processions
- Begins: Palm Sunday
- Ends: Easter Sunday
Processions
During Holy Week, 42 brotherhoods (cofradías) conduct 45 processions through Málaga’s streets, showcasing realistic wooden sculptures depicting scenes from the Passion or images of the Virgin Mary in sorrow.
Participants’ Attire
Nazarenes
Participants often wear a nazareno or penitential robe, which includes a tunic, a capirote (hood with a conical tip), and sometimes a cloak. The fabrics used in these garments are typically velvet, damask, satin, or twill, with colors and styles varying by brotherhood.
Mantilla
Women in some processions wear mantillas—a black dress signifying mourning, paired with a lace or silk veil or shawl and a peineta to hold it up.
Acolytes
Acolytes, dressed in vestments and often wearing dalmatics, precede the thrones, carrying processional candlesticks and thuribles with burning incense.
Emblems and Insignia
Most brotherhoods carry significant insignia, including:
- Cross Guide (Cruz de Guía): Leads each procession.
- Banner (Guión): Features the brotherhood’s shield or arms.
- Senatus: An emblem recalling the Roman Empire, bearing the letters SPQR.
- Book of Rules (Libro de Reglas): Contains the brotherhood’s norms and rules.
- Standard (Estandarte): Luxuriously decorated with a painting of Christ or the Virgin.
Thrones
Thrones, or “pasos,” are enormous platforms carrying sculptures depicting Gospel scenes related to the Passion or the Sorrows of the Virgin Mary. Each brotherhood typically has two thrones—one for a scene from the Passion and one for the Virgin Mary, known as a dolorosa.
Structure and Decoration
Thrones are richly carved and decorated with flowers, candelabra, and embroidered canopies. They are carried on the shoulders of bearers, called “men of thrones” or portadores, through long beams (varales).
Sculptures
The sculptures are the central axis of each brotherhood, many being life-sized and made of carved wood or polychrome. These artworks, some centuries old, depict Jesus in various Gospel scenes and the Virgin Mary in sorrow.
Music
Most thrones are accompanied by marching bands playing processional marches. These bands include drum and bugle bands, military bands, or concert bands. Saetas, religious songs sung from balconies or the street, are a traditional accompaniment to the processions.
Route and Locations
Brotherhood Houses
Many brotherhoods begin their processions from their respective houses due to the size of the thrones. These houses also serve as museums for the brotherhoods’ heritage throughout the year.
Official Route
The official route begins in the Alameda Principal, continuing through Larios roundabout, Marqués de Larios Street, Constitution Square, and Granada Street, covering about 850 meters. Approximately 16,000 chairs and several grandstands are placed along this route, with Constitution Square Grandstand being a prominent viewing spot.
Rostrum of the Poor
Located at the end of Carretería Street, this natural tribune is free and offers a popular spot to witness the processions.
Cathedral
Fifteen brotherhoods make a penitential station inside Málaga Cathedral, while others do not due to the size of their thrones.
Previous Days
Processions
Before Holy Week, some brotherhoods, especially those from far neighborhoods or new brotherhoods, conduct processions on the Friday of Sorrows and the Saturday of Passion.
Transfers
Transfers are smaller processions moving statues from their temples to brotherhood houses. Notable transfers include Jesus Captive visiting the Civil Hospital patients and Christ of the Good Death carried by the Spanish Legion.
Days of Holy Week
Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday
Over the course of Holy Week, 41 brotherhoods conduct 45 processions, each day featuring different brotherhoods and their respective statues.
A deeply cultural and religious event
Holy Week in Málaga is a deeply cultural and religious event, showcasing the city’s rich heritage through elaborate processions, historical sculptures, and community participation. It remains a must-see for both locals and visitors, offering a unique glimpse into the traditions and history of Málaga.