Alongside Fuentes de Ebro in the province, there are eleven other municipalities that have this recognition distinguishing their Holy Week: Alagón, Ateca, Ariza, Calatayud, Caspe, Ejea de los Caballeros, Pinseque, Tarazona, Tauste, Torrijo de la Cañada, and Used.
This year, Fuentes de Ebro celebrates its Holy Week with a special recognition: that of being a festival of tourist interest in Aragon, as declared on March 13. This distinction acknowledges the heritage richness, originality, and uniqueness of Holy Week in Fuentes, thus joining the other eleven municipalities in the Zaragoza province that also have their Holy Week recognized as a festival of tourist interest in Aragon.
The Holy Week of Fuentes is a traditional celebration with roots dating back to 1950, although documentary evidence of ancient processional traditions exists from the 15th century. Today, Holy Week combines historical, cultural, and social elements reflected in the five brotherhoods of the locality (San Antón, El Nazareno, Cristo Crucificado, La Dolorosa, and Santo Entierro) that group approximately 1,000 members. The recognition not only highlights the beauty and unique character of its processions and liturgical acts but also values the effort of the local community to keep alive a tradition that has been passed down through generations.
This recognition is the result of the joint work of the Board of Brotherhoods, the Parish, the Mudéjar Territory entity, and the City Council of Fuentes de Ebro, who promoted the candidacy with the aim of valuing the heritage richness, originality, and uniqueness of their Holy Week.
One of the most emotional events of the Holy Week of Fuentes de Ebro is the proclamation and the awarding of the «Tambor de Oro,» which will be held this Saturday at 8:00 PM at the Fuentes Cinema. The speaker will be Esperanza Soro Porroche, and the Tambor de Oro will be awarded to Aurora Casado, the municipal secretary.
Alongside Fuentes de Ebro, another 11 towns in the province have this recognition, which contributes to enhancing tourism and the dissemination of their cultural heritage, and which also begins their celebrations this weekend.
Alagón
The Holy Week of Alagón was declared a festival of tourist interest in Aragon in August 2023, recognizing its more than four centuries of tradition. This year, the Brotherhood of the Entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem celebrates its 75th anniversary, and unique events such as the Via Crucis of Silence or the Encounter in Plaza de España are added. A total of eight brotherhoods process with floats carried on shoulders, accompanied by more than 700 members dressed in tunics of different colors.
It is an original celebration, a fundamental element of the town’s popular tradition, with historical references dating back to the 13th century, and it maintains the tradition of the «Step of Death.» The events include the procession of the blessing of palms, the procession of the three falls, the procession of the transfer of Ecce Homo, the Longinus procession, the Via Crucis, the processions of Veronica and Mary, the procession of the Holy Burial, the procession of Solitude, and the Encounter procession, all with active participation from the local population.
Ariza
In 2022, the Descent of the Angel of the Holy Week of Ariza was declared a festival of tourist interest, which is celebrated at midnight from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday. It is a unique tradition in Aragon and is performed in only six towns across Spain. In addition, in Ariza, it has the uniqueness that the angel recites a poem to convey the message to the Virgin. It originated in 1902 and recreates the appearance of an angel announcing the resurrection of her son to the Virgin Mary.
Ateca
The celebration of the Holy Week of Ateca dates back to the 16th century and is among the oldest in Aragon. In 1996, it was declared a festival of tourist interest in Aragon. The main event is the procession of the Holy Burial, which takes place on Good Friday and brings more than 40 biblical scenes from the Old and New Testaments to the streets. With a deep tradition passed down through generations, this significant celebration features nearly forty processional floats that are genuine works of art created by talented sculptors such as Bernardino Vililla, José Alegre, Mariano Ballesteros, and Vicente Ibarreta. The proclamation and the processions of «The Encounter» are also noteworthy. The most genuine floats include «Death,» an authentic human skeleton that first appeared in 1661, and the «Christ of the Cradle,» a work by Bernardino Vililla from the 17th century.
Calatayud
The Holy Week of Calatayud has been a festival of tourist interest in Aragon since 1994. Various events and processions comprise a broad program of activities that reaches its peak on Good Friday, when the ancient procession of the Holy Burial, dating back to the 15th century, departs from the Church of San Juan el Real. In this grand display of popular faith, 24 processional floats from the 17th to the 20th centuries are carried by 12 brotherhoods or penitential brotherhoods and more than 300 characters from the Old and New Testaments. In Plaza de España, the sacramental auto of the burial of Christ is celebrated. Calatayud hosts the oldest Via Crucis of Lent and offers a rich gastronomy with dishes such as chickpeas with conger eel and typical sweets. Lemonade and tapas routes are organized, as well as guided visits to churches and monuments.
Caspe
The Holy Week of Caspe is somewhat different from those of the historic Bajo Aragon. It was declared a festival of tourist interest in Aragon in 2003 and resembles the Holy Week celebrations of Castilla and León, which are more solemn and organized. The ritual follows strict protocols. The sites where the different brotherhoods process are, to say the least, striking. Many of these brotherhoods were founded in the 1940s; others, like that of the Vera Cruz, have a much older origin, at least regarding their precedents, and were likely active in some form in the 18th century, although also linked to acts beyond the strict period of Holy Week. The most solemn and emblematic procession is that of Good Friday. In it, the nine brotherhoods of the locality parade, all presided over by the Vera Cruz of Caspe, a relic of exceptional historical and spiritual value, virtually unique in Spain.
Ejea de los Caballeros
In 2015, the Holy Week of Ejea de los Caballeros was declared a festival of tourist interest in Aragon, receiving this recognition for being an original celebration, a fundamental element of the municipality’s popular tradition, which has been held since the 16th century when the first brotherhoods were created. One of the most representative events is the Proclamation, which marks the official start of Holy Week and takes place in the Church of the Virgin of the Olive Tree. The most solemn event is the procession of the Vi…
