Cartagena, Domingo de Ramos, evening procession

Semana Santa in Cartagena

Most towns and cities in the Region of Murcia celebrate their Palm Sunday processions in the evening when the heat has gone out of the day and the participants can file in the cooler evening air, as it takes between 4 and 6 hours for the processions to walk the route in the larger cities such as Lorca, Cartagena and Murcia.

Domingo de Ramos is a family day, the arrival of Jesus on a donkey, La Burrica as it is often called here, the little donkey,  a day of celebration and light in which the mood is of happiness and expectation.

There are no capirotes, no silent processions, just music, light, flowers and sweets handed out by the ton to expectant crowds lining the streets.

Murcian children know from experience to take a bag in which to collect their booty, and are adept at manoeuvring themselves to the front of any watching line of spectators to ensure that they can scoop up any shining goodies which come their way, and you´ll see the participants doling out sweets to the crowds right along the route.

The procession of the palms in Cartagena is hosted by the Cofradía California, which dates back to the 18th century.

It owes its name to the participation of a wealthy group of Californians and was  a well funded brotherhood which gathered an impressive collection of sculptures by the master sculptor Salzillo as the city enjoyed a time of economic stability and growth. Sadly most were destroyed during the turbulence of the Civil war, the present collection mainly created by Mariano Benlliure.

The Californias are most in evidence on the Wednesday night in the great procession of the arrest of Christ, on the night of Viernes de Dolores, the Palm Sunday procession, the journey of the Apostles on Holy Tuesday and the procession of silence on Maundy Thursday.

This parade files out from the Church of Santa María de Gracia in Calle Aire, following a convulsive route through the city centre and back to the Church, the first returnees arriving back at the side entrance just as the last paso is breaking into the sunlight via the front door of the church, a masterful feat of timing, skilfully engineered from the pulpit with a loudhailer.

It´s magnificently smooth, Plaza San Francisco behind the church a medley of colours and penitents, forming up into loose clusters at the side of the church, then in through the back door and out at the front, miraculously having collected a paso and a bunch of drummers on the way through the church, a smooth line of perfect penitents, off to pace the streets for a good two and a half hours which is a lot for the younger members, this parade being the first for many of them.

One point which was driven home over this weekend is the upsurge in enthusiasm for participation in these community events, membership of Cofradías increasing, lifeblood for a religion under assault from modern attitudes, clashing with what many see as antiquated morality.

The Church had a rough ride during the years of dictatorship and the destruction of civil war, yet now there is a huge resurgence of interest in maintaining these traditions, the participants in this Sunday parade, the footsoldiers of the future, so their participation is welcomed and encouraged by more than just their parents.

On Sunday, around 4000 children are estimated to have taken part in this parade, La Burrica, and the whole City was packed to bursting with those who came to watch their offspring or bring their children to see the little donkey pass by.

Shops did a roaring trade in sweet Mona de Pascua, which are a traditional cake sold in bakeries, given and enjoyed during the Easter week.

 They take various forms, the most common of which are an elongated oval with an egg in the middle, wrapped over with a cross of the cake mixture almost like wrapping a baby into a basket, although there are also smaller versions with a dappled  quails egg nestling in the centre.

They´re sweet and sugary, with just a hint of aniseed, and although we were told the original Monas were given by godparents to their godchildren on Easter Monday, large quantities were being consumed with enthusiasm by the waiting crowds, along  with a mindboggling quantity of sunflower seeds, freckling the streets throughout the route.

Another Easter novelty which visitors to Cartagena may like to take home for their grandchildren are Nazarenos lollipops, sweets moulded into little mini penitents, complete with capirote and an air of penitent determination.

 You´ll see ranks of them in every sweet shop, an inexpensive reminder of a warm spring evening and thousands of people participating in a statement of belonging.

From here on the mood changes as the drama unfolds, the last supper, the betrayal of Jesus, his humiliation and crucifixion.

 Open faces will be masked, capirotes donned and Cartagena will host perfect files of shining satin penitents, a sight you´ll see nowhere else in the Region of Murcia, gliding ghost-like as one.

There´s an aura of untouchability about these perfect rows and although capirotes and masked faces are a characteristic right across the region, you´ll never see this precision of movement elsewhere.

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