Along with Fuentes de Ebro, there are eleven other municipalities in the province that have this recognition for their Easter Week celebrations: Alagón, Ateca, Ariza, Calatayud, Caspe, Ejea de los Caballeros, Pinseque, Tarazona, Tauste, Torrijo de la Cañada and Use
Fuentes de Ebro is celebrating its Easter Week this year with a special recognition: that of being a festival of tourist interest in Aragon, as it was declared on March 13th. This distinction recognizes the rich heritage, originality and uniqueness of Easter Week in Fuentes, which thus joins the other eleven municipalities in the province of Zaragoza that also have their Easter Week recognized as a festival of tourist interest in Aragon.
Easter Week in Fuentes is a traditional festival whose roots go back to 1950, although there is documentary evidence of ancient processional traditions dating back to the 15th century. Today, Holy Week combines historical, cultural and social elements reflected in the five local brotherhoods (San Antón, El Nazareno, Cristo Crucificado, La Dolorosa and Santo Entierro) which bring together approximately 1,000 members. The award not only highlights the beauty and unique character of its processions and liturgical acts, but also recognizes the efforts of the local community to keep alive a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation.
The recognition is the result of the joint work of the Board of Brotherhoods, the Parish, the organization Territorio Mudéjar and the Town Council of Fuentes de Ebro, who promoted the candidacy with the aim of highlighting the rich heritage, originality and uniqueness of their Holy Week.
One of the most moving events of Holy Week in Fuentes de Ebro is the opening speech and the awarding of the “Golden Drum”, which this year will take place this Saturday at 8pm in the Fuentes Cinema. The opening speaker will be Esperanza Soro Porroche, and the Golden Drum will be awarded to Aurora Casado, municipal secretary.
Along with Fuentes de Ebro, 11 other towns in the province have this recognition, which contributes to boosting tourism and the dissemination of their cultural heritage, and which also start their celebrations this weekend.
Alagón
Holy Week in Alagón was declared a festival of tourist interest in Aragon in August 2023, in recognition of its more than four centuries of tradition. This year the Brotherhood of the Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem celebrates its 75th anniversary and there are unique events such as the Stations of the Cross of Silence or the Gathering in the Plaza de España. A total of eight brotherhoods process with floats carried on shoulders, accompanied by more than 700 brothers who wear robes of different colors.
It is an original celebration, a fundamental element of the town’s popular tradition, of which there are historical references dating back to the 13th century, a unique celebration in which the tradition of the “Paso de la Muerte” (Passage of Death) is maintained and in which the following take place: the procession of the blessing of the branches, the procession of the three falls, the procession of the transfer of the ecce homo, the procession of the longinus, the Stations of the Cross, the procession of the Veronica and Marys, the procession of the Holy Burial, the procession of the Solitude and the procession of the encounter, with the active participation of the population in all the acts that make up this celebration.
Ariza
In 2022, the Descent of the Angel of Holy Week in Ariza, which is celebrated from midnight on Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday, was declared a festival of tourist interest. It is a unique tradition in Aragon and is only performed in six locations throughout Spain. In addition, in Ariza it has the peculiarity that the angel recites a poem to convey the message to the Virgin. It has its origins in 1902 and recreates the apparition of an angel to announce the resurrection of his son to the Virgin Mary. This unique event, which takes place between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, is only celebrated in half a dozen municipalities in Spain, Ariza being unique in that it includes a new verse recited by the “Announcing Angel” every year.
Ateca
The celebration of Holy Week in Ateca dates back to the 16th century and is one of the oldest in Aragon. In 1996 it was declared a festival of tourist interest in Aragon. The main event is the Santo Entierro (Holy Burial) procession, 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-rooted tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation, this important celebration has almost forty processional floats that are authentic works of art created by talented sculptors such as Bernardino Vililla, José Alegre, Mariano Ballesteros and Vicente Ibarreta. Also noteworthy are the opening speech and the “El encuentro” (The Encounter) procession. The most genuine floats are that of “La muerte” (Death), an authentic human skeleton that first appeared in 1661, and the “Cristo de la cuna” (Christ in the manger), the work of Bernardino Vililla from the 17th century.
Calatayud
The Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Calatayud has been recognized as a festival of tourist interest in Aragon since 1994. A wide range of events and processions make up an extensive program of events that reach their peak on Good Friday, when the ancient Santo Entierro (Holy Burial) procession, dating from the 15th century, departs from the church of San Juan el Real. This great popular display of faith involves 24 processional floats from the 17th to the 20th centuries carried by the 12 penitential brotherhoods and more than 300 characters from the Old and New Testaments. In the Plaza de España the religious play of the burial of Christ is performed. Calatayud celebrates the oldest Lenten Stations of the Cross and offers a rich gastronomy with dishes such as chickpeas with conger eel and traditional sweets. Lemonade and tapas routes are organized, as well as guided visits to churches and monuments.
Caspe
The Caspe Holy Week is somewhat different to the rest of those celebrated in the historic Lower Aragon region. It was declared a festival of tourist interest in Aragon in 2003 and is reminiscent of the Holy Week celebrations in Castile and Leon, more sober and planned. The ritual follows strict protocols. The settings through which the different brotherhoods process are, to say the least, impressive. Many of these brotherhoods were founded in the 1940s; others, such as the Veracruz, have a much older origin, at least in terms of their precedents, and in the 18th century they would already have been active in a certain way, although also linked to other types of events beyond the strict period of Holy Week. The most solemn and emblematic procession is that of Good Friday. The nine local brotherhoods parade in it, all presided over by the Vera Cruz de Caspe, a relic of exceptional historical and spiritual value, practically unique in Spain.
Ejea de los Caballeros
In 2015, Ejea de los Caballeros‘ Holy Week was declared a Festival of Tourist Interest in Aragon. It received this recognition because it is an original celebration, a fundamental element of the municipality’s popular tradition, which has been celebrated 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 Virgen de la Oliva. The most solemn event is the Good Friday procession of the Holy Bed, in which all the floats of the town participate, accompanied by the band and the municipal corporation. A moment full of emotion, devotion and tradition that reaffirms Ejea as a spiritual and cultural reference point within Aragon. Some 1,600 members of the nine local brotherhoods currently take part in these celebrations.
Pinseque: dramatized passion
The Brotherhood of the Holy Bed of the Lord and Sorrows of Our Lady, created in early 1940, is in charge of organizing it, taking its five floats out onto the streets: the Entry into Jerusalem, the Nazarene, the Sorrows, the Pietà and the Holy Bed. The latter is the main image, a Reclining Christ on a bed made by the school of Olot.
One of the identifying features of Holy Week in Pinseque is that on the traditional waiting night of Maundy Thursday the young men of the town guard the Recumbent Christ dressed as halberdiers (Roman soldiers). The following day, throughout the day of Good Friday, until the procession of the Santo Entierro (Holy Burial) takes place, the halberdiers guard the Recumbent Christ of Jesus Christ, changing guard every half hour to the beat of drums.
Tarazona
In Tarazona, Holy Week has been a festival of tourist interest in Aragon since 2005. The beauty of its processional floats as they make their way through the city’s intricate streets is a highlight that attracts hundreds of locals and visitors alike. With a dozen floats carried on poles by ten brotherhoods and around 1,000 members, accompanied by the sound of their drum bands and the solemn body of halberdiers, this festival envelops the city in an atmosphere of emotion and recollection that moves both locals and visitors alike. The Good Friday procession is the most eagerly awaited moment, the culminating act when all the brotherhoods and guilds come together in a great procession representing the Passion of Christ.
Tauste
A Festival of Tourist Interest in Aragon since 2014, the Holy Week in Tauste has been taking place since 1589, with the arrival of the Franciscans in the town. It begins on Good Friday with the procession of the Seven Sorrows, featuring young people carrying pedestals. On Passion Saturday the eighth centenary of the “Canticle of the Sun” by St. Francis of Assisi is celebrated with an event in the convent’s park, followed by the Passion play, performed by children and young people. Palm Sunday begins with the proclamation “Exalting the Holy Cross”, accompanied by the Virgen de Sancho Abarca choir. The processions of the Stations of the Cross, the Seven Words and the Lord’s Supper follow one another until Holy Thursday culminates with the Breaking of the Hour. Good Friday shines with the Youth Stations of the Cross, the traditional Proclamation and the overwhelming procession of the Holy Burial. Holy Saturday ends with the moving Easter vigil and the Encounter of the Risen Christ.
Torrijo de la Cañada
In 1997, Holy Week in Torrijo de la Cañada was declared a festival of tourist interest in Aragon. The representation begins on Good Friday with the reading of the Passion. It is also the moment of silence, which is broken by the irruption of the Roman guard into the temple. This is followed by the Stations of the Cross through the streets and the crucifixion in the square, featuring the impressive articulated Christ. After the death, the representation returns to the church and then it is time for the “abajamiento” (descent), which gives way to the procession of the Holy Burial. The tradition continues the following day with the celebration of Holy Saturday. This Holy Week is characterized by its simplicity and fervor, where every detail has great value for the inhabitants of Torrijo de la Cañada.
Used
The processions of Holy Week in Used were revived in 2007 and ten years later it was declared a festival of tourist interest in Aragon. This celebration took place for the first time in 1911 and had ceased to be held by the middle of the century. In its origins it was a great event for the town and for the rest of the municipalities in the area. The company of Roman soldiers was famous, as was the large number of characters that took part. In the processions on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, the company of Roman soldiers and characters from the Old and New Testaments parade, which gives the celebration a unique identity. To the rhythm of drums, bass drums and bugles, figures such as Moses, Abraham, Queen Esther and twelve sibyls, together with the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ, parade through the streets. More than a hundred inhabitants of this town of barely 270 residents actively participate in these representations, which combine religious fervor, tradition and theatricality.
