Semana Santa (Crevillent)
During the spring (In 2019 it will be
celebrated from April 14th to April 21st) , takes place the celebration of Holy Week, that was declared as being of International Tourist Interest in November 2011, and whose origins date back to the seventeenth century.
Art, tradition, religion and popular feeling are the elements that define this impressive celebration.
Its portico is the septenary (a period of seven days dedicated to devote God and saints) in honor of "La Virgen de los Dolores", commemorated throughout the week preceding acts of passion. Throughout the week there are processions in which you can see a centenary imagery of sublime beauty.
On the night of Holy Tuesday, silence and darkness take over the old part of the town, through its winding and narrow streets the crowd throng to see the procession of "Stmo. Cristo de Difuntos y Ánimas", accompanied by torches, incense burners, and a composition of the cinquecento played by a local choir.
The magic of Holy Wednesday begins with the traditional arrangement of "pasos"; whole families dedicated to the care of the images, take their seats to the streets, where they, with great care and elegance, decorate the "pasos" that later and from all quarters, concur in the traditional "entrada de pasos" in the Church of Belen (Plaza de la Constitución).
In the early morning of Holy Friday, "rondallas" (musical group of stringed instruments) and bands of horns and drums interpret the popular "dianas", sweet melodies that blend into the night to mark the beginning of the most important holiday. At dawn "La Morquera" is taken by people to witness fervently this significant act: the embrace between mother and son during the procession on the way to the Calvary.
After that, following the tradition, the participants recharge their batteries having a meal based on "pa torrat" (toast bread) with bread, cod, garlic, beans and onions that make up the genuine "almuerzo de viernes santo" (the holy Friday breakfast). In the evening, the solemnity covers the streets of Crevillent with the procession of the Death of Christ, one of the most beautiful processions, wherein the "pasos" of the sculptor Mariano Benlliure mark the town center streets out, invaded by an absolute silence which is only broken by songs of passion interpreted by the local choirs.
Six are the sculptural groups that participate in the procession of the Holy Saturday called "procesión del santo entierro de Cristo" (procession of the holy burial of Christ). Along the route that goes from the "Parroquia de la Stma. Trinidad" to the "Parroquia de Ntra. Sra. de Belén", respect and devotion are emphasized, and the silence is only interrupted by the choral singing and the sound of the drums that mark the steps of the "costaleros" (people who carry the pasos).
On Sunday, Crevillent commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Plaza de la Constitución, with the images of San Juan de la Palma, Regina Pacis and Jesús Sacramentado, and the background sound of the harmony of Handel's Hallelujah.