Easter

Hey! I'll be in Spain for 2 weeks in March and I'll be there for easter with some friends. Whaty's typical in spain for easter?

That's great! I'll be there then too! Maybe you'll be around to attend the next "Party With MadridMan in Madrid" IF you're in Madrid, that is.

Regarding your question, are you asking about the typical foods or drinks or entertainment of Semana Santa? Or are you asking about the religious ceremony of the holiday?

Saludos, MadridMan

No, I'll be in the Cadiz area with my friends and attending school there too. Like do they go out? What happens?

The pious and unbeliever alike spend a lot of time on the street, so you will notice a lot of activity, also until very late. You can join the crowd by buying huge bags of pipas and eat them noisily as "pasos" parade past you, or go into any number of bars and eat a ton of fried fish. There is also some pretty hopping nightlife, in Jerez in particular there are temporary discos that set up shop just for semana santa. If you are at all interested in the Semana Santa processions, Jerez has better a better semana santa than Cadiz, more religious brotherhoods and more traditional, Cadiz is better if you are just looking for the nightlife, but that is usually the case year around anyway...

I too will be in Spain (Madrid and Barcelona) during Semana Santa. What kinds of entertainment treats might I look forward to?

Madridman, when and where will your party be? I'll be in Madrid 3/26 and 3/27 (and 3/17). Will anything be open on Easter Day or will I have to go to church (probably will anyway for the memories of Catholic childhood)

ellenoregon, thanks for asking! It's NOT looking good for a "Party with MadridMan in Madrid" this Semana Santa - UNFORTUNATELY. Seems I'll have to postpone my trip until April or May this year. I'm quite disappointed about that fact but I need to accumulate some more vacation time because I used all I had for the New Years trip.

Enjoy relatively quiet Madrid during Easter Week! So few cars.... so many parking spaces!!!

Saludos, MadridMan

Believe it or not, Easter Sunday is fairly low key in Spain. The Spanish seem to enjoy the suffering side of Christ's Passion on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. You get the feeling from the Spanish that the fact he rose from the dead to triumph is rather anecdotal. Try saying "Happy Easter" to a Spaniard and see how they look at you. It's sort of like "Oh, yeah, you're right. It's Easter." But you can definitely go to church. Basically Easter Sunday is the day you have to spend hours on the highway returning to Madrid and praying the traffic isn't too bad!

Semana Santa in Madrid is making a modest but concerted comeback. You do have processions (especially, Wednesday night, Thursday and Friday). They may not be up there with the Andalusian ones, but they have an old tradition and I hear are quite good. I'm never around for Easter so I can't tell you about the schedules. I'll keep an eye out and let you know if I find something.

Will things be closed on Sunday? Yes. But mostly because it's Sunday and not just Easter Sunday.

Madrid is a big city, so there will always be something to do. But you might want to make the most of the reduced population and visit museums and such without all the hassles.

The quietest day of all: Good Friday. Almost everything is closed that day.

Have fun