Easter Parade - Lorca

In Britain and the United States Easter passes with a nod to its symbolism and after a brief holiday return to work. However in Southern Europe and particularly in Spain it is a time of reverence.  Easter week or Semana Santa is a significant time in the country. This also manifests itself as a celebration and the city of Lorca, in Murcia puts on one of the greatest shows, of many, in Spain.

Over two nights, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday a four hour procession takes place. This is part religious ceremony and a re-telling of biblical tales. hence the number of people who dress up in Roman costume and, for me, the highlight of the show, chariots racing down the main street.

I have tried to capture the excitement with these two short videos.

It is obvious that nothing quite captures the drama of six horses pulling a speeding chariot or carruaje, as they are known in Spanish, along a main thoroughfare but I hope you get a sense of the occasion. I hope that you get to see the spectacle. Tickets are bought from the embroidery museums of the blue (azul) or white (blanco) paseos. The tourist office can direct you but do try and buy before palm Sunday if you can. We managed to find a ticket by going to the church of Santa Deloros two days earlier and through an English speaking guide, Vincente, acquired our place. In our previous visit to Semana Santa we had booked earlier at the Blue Museum. For a guide in 2016 prices ranges from approx €35-€51 per seat and remember that is for both nights so it represents very good value.

Lorca is a fine but compact city with a castle overlooking the centre. It was rocked by an earthquake in 2011 but since that time a great deal of restoration work has been carried out to repair the damage. Some improvements are still being undertaken and the city is trying to acquire World Heritage status.

It is situated right beside the A7 between the cities of Murcia and Almeria.