From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, thousands of people flock to the city to attend the numerous processions that take place on the streets of Madrid. The atmosphere created by the rolling drums, trumpets and the hundreds of religious worshippers' in bright and colourful attire is the hallmark of Easter in Madrid.
Madrid commemorates the Passion and death of Jesus Christ with a packed programme of events. Churches and basilicas schedule religious music concerts, whilst numerous brotherhoods take part in processions they have been preparing for all year long. The city's best restaurants, cafés and cake shops serve traditional Easter dishes, such as torrijas (French toast) and potaje de garbanzos (chick pea stew).
Processions
During Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter Sunday, carved images and sculptures, which spend the rest of the year housed in basilicas and churches, are adorned with candles, flowers, and richly embroidered shawls. Accompanied by dozens of penitents and borne aloft by costaleros, members of different religious guilds, they are taken on processions through emblematic places such as the Paseo del Prado, Calle Alcalá and the Plaza Mayor.
Among them are those of Nuestro Padre Jesús del Gran Poder and María Santísima de la Esperanza Macarena, which starts from the Royal San Isidro Collegiate Church (37, Calle Toledo); Jesús el Pobre, starting from the San Pedro el Viejo Church (14, Calle Nuncio); and the Santo Entierro, which sets off from the Parish Santa Cruz (6, Calle de Atocha).
One of the most celebrated processions outside the city centre is the Divino Cautivo, which begins at the Calasanctian School (58, Calle General Díaz Porlier) in the Barrio de Salamanca.
Sacred Music and La Tamborrada
Easter in Madrid always brings with it a packed cultural programme, and each year’s events include the Organ Music Series at the San Ginés Church (13, Calle del Arenal).
On Sunday at 12noon, the Brotherhood of Jesús de la Soledad ante las Negaciones de San Pedro y San Lamberto performs a tamborrada drum parade in Plaza Mayor to mark the end of the celebrations.
Gastronomy
It is common for religious celebrations to feature traditional fare, and Easter in Madrid is no exception. Dishes enjoyed at this time of year range from Soldaditos de Pavía –crispy fried chunks of cod, Potaje de garbanzos a la madrileña (chickpea stew, with spinach, cod, potatoes and hard-boiled egg) and croquetas de bacalao (cod croquettes) to torrijas, Spain’s answer to French toast.
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