Easter 2018 in Barcelona
Easter holidays Barcelona
This year the Holy Week (Semana Santa) is celebrated from March 25 till April 2. This festivity is ideal to have a city break with your friends or family and discover more about Barcelona and its Easter traditions! For a perfect holiday, get the most unique experience with BE Apartment in the best luxury apartments in Barcelona and other cities, for your security, pleasure and comfort.
Barcelona is located in a traditionally Christian country, so during Easter Holidays there will be some traditional religious acts. For example, on Palm Sunday, March 25, there is a parade around the Cathedral of Barcelona, called “El Paso de la Borriquita” where people bring olive branches to commemorate the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem on a donkey. Throughout this parade, you can buy an olive branch in one of the stalls of Las Ramblas or in any florist shop. After this first live celebration, a week of Easter parades can be seen in the Gothic Quarter and other neighboring towns, as well as on the famous Las Ramblas.
Although the Holy Thursday (March 29) is not a holiday in Catalonia (while Good Friday and Easter Monday are), this day holds differents acts. The most outstanding is the Procession of the Silence of Badalona, that dates back to the 17th century, the participants keep absolute silence while carrying a lighted candle. The procession of the Virgin de la Macarena takes place on Good Friday, March 30. It starts at 5pm in the Raval district at the Sant Agustí Església, and ends at the Barcelona Cathedral at 8m. Also, on Good Friday different parishes of Barcelona celebrate their own "Way of the Cross", the liturgy of the passion and death of Christ. It is a good opportunity to visit the Cathedral of Barcelona, Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar or Sagrada Familia. Another option is to go to L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, where you will find street processions more typical of southern Spain. The Easter parades in Barcelona are always an unforgettable cultural experience!
As Barcelona is predominantly Catholic city, the tradition of not eating meat on Good Friday is widely observed by the citizens here. Instead, they choose to follow the Easter tradition of eating fish, that includes cod with chickpeas, cod with potatoes and salted cod. While on Easter Sunday, April 1, it is very usual to go out for a drink or lunch the family, Easter Monday, April 2, is known in Catalonia as "El día de la Mona" or "Mona's Day", because traditionally godparents give their godchildren "las monas de pascua": These are small cakes, chocolate eggs or figurines, today, the cakes have many forms, some which include chocolate and marzipan and chocolate figures on it. Bakeries and "chocolaterías" around Barcelona create the most delectable desserts, too, so Easter Monday is highly anticipated at this time for those who have given up sweets for Lent. Some of the traditional Easter cakes and biscuits include Bunyols, Torrijas, Roscas de Pascua, Pestinos, apart from la Mona de Pascua.
If you want to enjoy a day of shopping in Barcelona, take the chance to do it during the week or on Saturday, since most shops will be closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. However, most museums will be open, so organizing cultural visits on these holidays can be a great option. Do not miss this opportunity to enjoy Barcelona and get to know the city better with BE Apartment. If you´re visitng Barcelona, take a look at our luxury apartments that we have throughout the city.
