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EASTER

GALLERY: This is how Easter was celebrated across Spain

Catch up with these amazing images of how Semana Santa was celebrated in different places across Spain.

Published: 3 April 2018 10:03 CEST
GALLERY: This is how Easter was celebrated across Spain
Penitents wearing hoods take part in a Holy Week procession in Verges. Photo: AFP
Wherever you were in Spain last week, you likely came across Easter celebrations involving hooded penitents in slow moving processions where statues of Christ and the saints were held aloft.
 
But you may also have come across penitents dragging a crucifix through the streets, or bands of children in skeleton suits dancing through the town.
 
 
Here's a look at the best images from Semana Santa 2018:
 
Spanish actor Antonio Banderas takes part in the “Lagrimas y Favores” (Tears and Favours) brotherhood Palm Sunday procession in his home city of Malaga at the start of the Holy Week. Photo: AFP
 
Despite the startling resemblance, the long conical hats worn by the members of some brotherhoods during Spain's Easter celebrations have nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan. Instead, they originate in the hats worn by people found guilty of religious crimes in the Spanish Inquisition.

In Sevilla, a hooded penitent walks to church before the start of a procession. Photo: AFP
 
Those criminals would walk the streets in the hats while they were mocked and insulted by the crowds. By donning the hats in Spain's Easter celebrations, penitents are also re-enacting Christ's road to Calvary.
 
Penitents take part in the “Lagrimas y Favores” (Tears and Favours) brotherhood Palm Sunday procession in Malaga at the start of the Holy Week. Photo: AFP
 
A barefoot penitent stands on the pavement during 'Los Gitanos' (the gipsies) Spy Wednesday procession in the Holy Week in Madrid.Photo: AFP
 
Penitents wearing hoods take part in a Holy Week procession in Verges, northeastern Spain, on March 29, 2018. 
 
People watch the “Jesus Nazareno, el pobre y Maria Santisima del Dulce Nombre” (Jesus the Nazarene, the poor and Holy Mary of the Sweet Name) procession on Easter Holy Week's Maundy Thursday in Madrid
 
Penitents carry a figure of Jesus the Nazarene on Maundy Thursday in Madrid. Photo: AFP
 
A woman sporting the traditional Spanish 'mantilla' (shawl) takes part in a procession in Madrid,  Photo: AFP
 
Spanish legionnaires carry a crucifix figure depicting 'El Cristo de la Buena Muerte' (Christ of the Good Death) to Santo Domingo de Guzman church during the 'Cristo de Mena' Holy Week procession on March 29th in Malaga, southern Spain.
 
The legionnaires hoist a statue of Christ on His cross above their heads using just one hand each.
 
And for those who want to see the performance in full, check out this video: 
Meanwhile in northern Spai, cross carrying is made to look a little bit more difficult.
 
A penitent tied with a rope round the neck carries a cross during the 'El Ensogado' (The roped) procession on Easter Holy Week's Maundy Thursday in the northern Spanish village of Sietamo 
 
Some children hold candles as a penitent tied with a rope round the neck carries a cross during the 'El Ensogado' (The roped) procession on Easter Holy Week's Maundy Thursday in the northern Spanish village of Sietamo.
 
Dancers perform the Dance of the Death during a Holy Week procession in Verges, northeastern Spain, on March 30, 2018. 
 
Dancers dress in body stockings with skeletons painted on them and carry symbols to stir the people and prepare them for a good death.
 
Penitents of the “Cristo Salvador y del Amparo” brotherhood carry a statue of Jesus on a cross during a Good Friday procession on a beach in Valencia as part of the Holy Week on March 30, 2018. 
 
Penitents of the El Cachorro brotherhood parade over Triana bridge during a Good Friday procession as part of the Holy Week in Sevilla on March 30, 2018. 

Penitents of the “La O” brotherhood parade over Triana bridge during a Good Friday procession as part of the Holy Week in Sevilla on March 30, 2018. 

At at last the royal family, King Felipe VI of Spain, his wife Queen Letizia, their daughters Princess Sofia (front C) and Princess Leonor (front R), former King Juan Carlos I and his wife former Queen Sofia pose after attending the traditional Easter Sunday Mass of Resurrection in Palma de Mallorca.

 

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TRAVEL NEWS

Traffic jams and sold-out trains: the latest on Easter travel in Sweden

Easter is probably the busiest time of the year for travel within Sweden. Here's the latest on how to travel safely and where you might face delayed trains or ugly traffic jams.

Published: 7 April 2022 16:30 CEST
Updated: 14 April 2022 13:54 CEST
Traffic jams and sold-out trains: the latest on Easter travel in Sweden

Travelling by rail

If you haven’t already booked your ticket, you may find it difficult to get a seat on some popular routes. 

“Some routes are already fully booked. This is particularly the case between the major cities,” Anders Edgren, a press officer for the national train company SJ, told state broadcaster SVT.

A screenshot of SJ’s booking site for Good Friday shows most morning trains between Malmö and Stockholm are already sold out.
 
Edgren said on Thursday morning that there were still a few seats left between Stockholm and Gothenburg and Stockholm and Sundsvall but that they were selling out fast. 
 
 
“What we’re trying to do is to double-up trains, which is to stick together two trains, and if we manage to do that we might be able to release some more tickets.” 

Sweden’s national rail company SJ often schedules engineering work for national holidays, as fewer people are travelling to work, and this easter there will be engineering work at around 20 sites across the country, meaning more than 1,000 trains will be partly or totally replaced with buses during the Easter break. 

The worst areas are on the routes between Gothenburg and Malmö, between Västerås and Stockholm, and between Karlstad and Växjö. Work on the new Västkustbanan will mean replacement buses between Helsingborg and Gothenburg throughout the Easter holidays. 

SJ has made a map showing all the routes where you can expect interruptions: 

Traffic interruptions over Easter: 

Karlstad C to Kristinehamn: 10pm April 14th to 5am April 19th 

Gothenburg going north and south: 10.35pm April 14th to 2pm April 18th

Varberg to Heberg: 2pm April 14th to 2pm April 19th 14

Ängelholm Helsingborg: 12am April 4th to April 25th 4.15am 

Frövi to Kumla: 10pm April 14th to 5am April 19th 

Skymossen to Motala: 12am April 14th to 5am April 19th

Stockholm Central platforms 3 to 7: 10pm April 14th to 10pm April 21st 

Huvudsta – Barkarby: 1.10am April 14th to 4.30am April 19th 

Travelling by car 

In its guide to travelling by car over Easter, the Swedish Transport Agency warns that weather conditions at this time of year can vary enormously as you drive north.  You may find, for instance, that you need winter snow tyres by the time you reach your destination, even seemed almost summery when you set out. You should also make sure you have clothing for all seasons. 

Here is the agency’s maps of roads which it expects to see heavy Easter traffic. 

A map showing which roads are expected to be busy over the Easter period. Photo: Swedish Transport Agency
These include: 

The E22 between Kalmar and Norrköping, the E4 between Norrköping and Stockholm, and then from Stockholm all the way up to Sundsvall.  The roads leading towards the ski areas around Sälen and Östersund also tend to get crowded. None of the roads in Skåne are expected to see heavy traffic. 

The Swedish Transport Agency has imposed a ban on overtaking on the E4 between Gävle och Tönnebro, on the 14th and 14th of April for travel in a northerly direction, and on the 17th and 18th of April travelling south. 

The agency also recommends choosing roads with central reservations and speed cameras, as these are safer, even if this might mean a slower journey. Here is the agency’s map of roads with central reservations.

Flights

If you’re coming to Sweden by air, you should be aware that companies have been cancelling a high number of flights in recent days, because many of their staff have Covid.

EasyJet and British Airways cancelled more than 80 scheduled flights on Thursday, blaming staff sickness. 

Airports

If your flight is running as scheduled, be aware of issues at several UK airports.

Airports including Heathrow, Manchester and Birmingham have been hit by disruption because of staff shortages caused by Covid, affecting everything from airport security to luggage handlers. Passengers risked missing their flights because of lengthy delays, according to reports in the UK press. 

Passport queues at Heathrow Terminal 2, from where SAS flies to Stockholm, were ‘stretching to 90 minutes’ on Maundy Thursday, The Independent reported. 

Passengers have been advised to make sure they are at the airport as early as possible to allow for delays, and unions have warned that the disruption could last for some time.

In the case of Manchester, the advice last week was to arrive three hours early.

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