Fiestas in Águilas during March and April

Semana Santa, Virgen de los Dolores and the Monas of Águilas

The Semana Santa celebrations in Águilas take place forty days after the huge Carnival for which the twontown is famed, and as with Carnival the actual date of Easter Week (Semana Santa) varies every year, varying bewteen March and April.

The Águilas Semana Santa celebrations are growing in size every year, and is organised by nine “Cofradías” (brotherhoods) which have a collection of 19 different “pasos” (sculptural images) between them, and more than 1,500 members.

There are two main churches around which these processions focus: the Parroquia de San José, Calle de Floridablanca on the corner of Plaza de España, Águilas (Click for map Plaza de España Águilas) and the Parroquia del Carmen, Calle Doctor Luis Prieto, 10, (Click for map,  Calle Doctor Luis Prieto Águilas).

Las Monas in Águilas

A tradition widely observed in Águilas during Semana Santa is the consumption of "monas" These are made from a sweet dough mixture and fall somewhere between a bread and a cake, as although they are sweet enough to be consumed as a cake, are also eaten with eggs, in fact, they're most commonly sold in a diamond shape, with a boiled egg embedded into the body of the mona, held in place with a cross of the bread mix.

They are most frequently consumed in the days posterior to Resurrection Sunday or Easter Day, when it is traditional for senior family members to buy them for the more junior members of a family, and are best enjoyed in an open-air picnic with friends and family. With temperatures generally well into the 20's by the end of Easter Week, much of Águilas heads for the beaches to enjoy the last days of Easter outdoors ... along with their monas!.

Outline programme of Semana Santa in Águilas (nb. the What's on Águilas subject heading will contain the specific programme for each year. This is normally presented around two weeks before Easter Sunday. In general the main processions take place on the days shown below, although the times may vary depending on the dates on which Easter week falls.)

Viernes de los Dolores

This is also the feast day of the Patron of Águilas, the Virgen de los Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows) and takes place on the Friday before Holy Week begins.

The events start on Thursday evening with a representation of the "Auto de la Pasión", a play recreating the last days of Christ which takes place in the Parroquía de San José, followed by the singing of a serenata to the Virgen de Dolores and fireworks as her special day begins.

11.00: Holy Mass in the church of San José, followed by the official presentation speech of the Easter Week celebrations.

12.45: Floral offering at the door of the church of San José.

19.30: Mass in the church of San José, during which the medals of the float-bearers in the Easter processions will be blessed and the “Ofenda de la  Luz” attended by those taking part in the processions.

21.00: Procession of the figure of Nuestra Señora Virgen de los Dolores through the streets of the city centre, accompanied by the music society which bears her name and numerous Nazarenes, standard-bearers and local dignitaries as well as all of the local processional brotherhoods.

Holy week begins on the first Sunday of the week: Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday

11.00: The procession of palms, in which families carry palm and olive branches, as well as the braided white palm decorations seen throughout the Region of Murcia during Holy Week. The palms are first blessed before participants commemorate the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem on a donkey. The procession is from the Parroquia del Carmen, and includes the images of Christ on a donkey and the Virgen de la Estrella.

The route runs from the Parroquia del Carmen along Calle Luis Prieto, Calle Juan Carlos I and Calle Rey Carlos III to the Plaza de España.

Holy Wednesday

The Procesión del Prendimiento (the procession of the Taking of Christ), the Oración en el Huerto (the oration in the Garden of Gethsemene) and Santiago Apóstol.

19.30: The Oración en el Huerto procession leaves from the Casa de Hermandad of the Nuestro Señor de la Columna brotherhood and proceeds along the streets of Severo Montalvo, Murillo, Floridablanca, Antonio Manzanera and Luis Prieto.

20.00: Santiago Apóstol sets out along a route which includes the Calle Robles, Calle Progreso, Calle Madre de Dios, Calle Ancha, Calle Castellanos and Calle Luis Prieto.

21.00: The different Pasos join up with the Agrupación Nuestro Padre Jesús del Prendimiento la Oración, and leave from the Parroquia del Carmen on a route which includes Luis Prieto, Juan Carlos I, Conde de Aranda, the Plaza de España (Parroquia de San José) and Coronel Pareja before ending in the fishing port in the Lonja de los Pescadores (Explanada de Puerto).

Maundy Thursday

Midnight: Procession of silence, with the image of Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Agonía, leaving from the Casa de Hermandad in Calle Lotería and proceeding along Candelaria and Juan Carlos I to Luis Prieto.

At this point there is an encuentro (a meeting) between the images of Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Agonía, María Santísima de la Soledad and San Juan Evangelista in the Plaza del Caño de los Arcos.

Following this, the procession continues via the streets of Antonio Manzanera, Floridablanca, Juan Jiménez Crouseilles, Castelar and the Plaza de España, ending at the Parroquia de San José.

Good Friday, Viernes Santo

7.00: Traditional solemn Via Crucis with the image of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, following the different stations of the cross from the seat of the Cofradía in Caño de los Arcos to the Calvary. The route runs along Fuente Nueva, Luis Prieto, Juan Carlos I, Sepulcro, Goya, Hospital, Pilar, Monte Calvario and ends at the Calvario.

9.30: The morning procession of the Holy Encounter (Procesión del Santo Encuentro).
The images of the Cristo del Prendimiento, Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Columna and Nuestra Señora la Virgen de los Dolores set out from the Parroquia de San José in the Plaza de España along Castelar, Juan Jiménez Crouseilles, Floridablanca, Antonio Manzanera and Luis Prieto.

At 10.40 there is an encuentro (the moment when sculptures meet each other face to face after arriving from different directions) at the corner of Juan Carlos I and Luis Prieto of the Virgen de los Dolores, Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno and San Juan Evangelista (St John the Baptist).

11.15: the procession continues along Juan Carlos I, Puerto de Poniente, Francisco Rabal, Isabel Católica and the Plaza de España (in front of the Town Hall) before ending at the Parroquia de San José.

Taking part in this procession are the Agrupación del Cristo del Prendimiento and the images of Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Columna, Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, San Juan Evangelista, Santa Mujer Verónica and the Cristo del Consuelo with Nuestra Señora La  Virgen de los Dolores.

20.15: The evening procession, the Procesión del Santo Entierro (the Holy Burial).

The procession leaves from the Parroquia de San José in the Plaza de España and proceeds along Castelar, Juan Jiménez Crouseilles, Floridablanca, Antonio Manzanera, Luis Prieto, Juan Carlos I, Rey Carlos III before returning to the church where it started.

The images featured in the procession leaving from the Plaza de España are the Santísimo Cristo de la Sangre, the Santo Sepulcro and Nuestra Señora la Virgen de los Dolores. They are joined in the Plaza del Caño de los Arcos by María Santísima de la Soledad, the Virgen de la Piedad, the Cristo de la Misericordia, San Juan Evangelista, Santa Mujer Verónica and the Cristo del Consuelo.

Easter Sunday

The mood changes from one of mourning to one of celebration as Christ is resurrected. The procession is bright and cheerful with a joyous encuentro between the images of Jesus resurrected and the Virgen de la Esperanza.

9.00: Procession of the resurrection with the images of Cristo Resucitado and San Pedro Apóstol. Route: Departure from the Parroquia del Carmen, via Luis Prieto, Antonio Manzanera, Floridablanca, Juan Jiménez Crouseilles, Castelar, the Plaza de España, Conde de Aranda and Juan Carlos I, ending in the Parroquia del Carmen. Here an “encuentro” takes place with the image of the Virgen de la Esperanza.

Click for more information about the municipality of Águilas.