If you’re looking for an immersive cultural experience that will touch your soul, the Holy Week celebration in Malaga is an absolute must. It’s a time to witness the power of faith, appreciate the artistry of paso constructions, and immerse yourself in the vibrant spirit of Andalusian culture. So, pack your bags, grab your camera, and prepare to be swept away by the magic of Semana Santa in Malaga.
During the Holy Week celebration in Malaga, the city transforms into a stage for a spectacle of religious fervor, artistic expression, and cultural heritage. From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, the streets of Malaga become a living tapestry of processions, each brotherhood carrying an elaborately adorned paso (float) depicting a scene from Jesus’s Passion. These pasos, some weighing over a ton, are meticulously crafted works of art, their intricate details illuminated by the flickering candlelight.
We arrived in Malaga on Maundy Thursday in the middle of Semana Santa, Holy Week. I never imagined that the celebration of Semana Santa in Malaga would be such a beautiful, exhausting, educational, and enriching experience.
The timeline for the Holy Week in Malaga
Holy Week in Spain is a big deal, and Malaga is one of the few major cities celebrating Semana Santa. Other cities in Spain that celebrate the Holy Week are Seville, Córdoba, Segovia, Toledo, and Madrid, in addition to a few smaller towns. When the Holy Week takes place is different each year, but Semana Santa 2027 starts on Sunday, the 30th of March, and lasts until the 06th of April. The Holy Week days in Malaga are Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday.
The celebration of the Holy Week may vary from region to region and city to city. But if you want this experience for purely educational reasons, it is enough to see Semana Santa once. Whatever city you stay in during the Holy Week, you will understand what it is all about.
The processions of the Holy Week in Malaga start on Palm Sunday, and there are 9 parades that day. The first begins at 9:45 am, and the last finishes at 1:15 am the next day (night). All processions occur from various churches and religious brotherhoods in the city, making their way around the city en route to the cathedral. There are between 6 and 9 processions daily, except on Holy Saturday when there are no processions. The most important parade of the week takes place on Easter Sunday and starts at 10:00 am.
You will find Holy Week timelines in every hotel and rental apartment, so you don’t have to figure it out in advance.
As we were unpacking in our apartment, we heard loud music. We heard drums, trombones, and brass; it was a blend of marches and classical music. The music played was sad and complaining, yet powerful and energetic. It was beautiful and weird at the same time.
Our apartment was in the middle of the Old Town in Malaga and, fortunately, on one of the routes for processions. It gave us first-hand experience of Semana Santa events. The apartment’s location was also unfortunate because we could hear the evening and night processions very well as they passed under our balcony or on the neighbouring street.
Facts about the Holy Week celebration in Spain
Holy Week in Christianity is the week before Easter, the last week of Jesus’ life. Every day of the Holy Week commemorates different events of Jesus’ last days. Just as these days represent different events from Jesus’ days before the resurrection on Easter Sunday, so do the processions.
Each day’s processions commemorate different events from those same days. The people participating in processions wear the Nazareno or the penitential robe. It has several parts – a tunic which is different in colours depending on the day of Semana Santa, and a conically shaped hood to hide the face of the person wearing the Nazareno.
The Nazareno robe is of medieval origin. Each procession of the Holy Week in Malaga usually has two floats, one of Jesus and one of the Virgin Mary. On Good Friday, most of the processions are silent, and with the last processions of the day, the lights in the city go out.
Processions last at least a few hours and move very slowly due to the weight of the floats, frequent breaks, and crowds. You can book a seat to watch the processions in several places, but you can get much closer to the floats and processions if you watch them from the street.
When the procession stops for a break, you can see the light from the candles, although not every procession has lit candles. You smell the incense and see the robes and the eyes behind the capes up close. And you see the magnitude of the floats and their decorations.
People wearing Nazarenos carry candles or wooden crosses during the procession. You might also see many kids and some adults walking around with balls made of wax in their hands. The ball is the wax from the candles carried in the processions, which they have collected for years.
The bands following the processions and playing music wear military uniforms.
Holy Week celebration in Malaga
There are Holy Week celebrations in every Christian country, but these celebrations are as diverse as the various Christian traditions.
Traditions of Holy Week in Malaga have a history of over 500 years. Processions are organised throughout the Holy Week, but the most spectacular ones are those on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. On Maundy Thursday, Cristo de Mena, also known as Cristo de la Buena Muerte, arrives in Malaga port at around 11 am, is escorted by the Spanish Foreign Legion, and is probably the most popular and certainly the most spectacular of the Easter processions. Good Friday is a day of silence, with no music accompanying processions.
Visiting Malaga during Semana Santa can be challenging, exhausting, exciting, and fun. The city is filled with music, the smell of incense, colours, and people, both locals and tourists. The Holy Week represents the celebration of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Easter processions in Spain
The smell, music, noise, and crowds may be too much if you visit Spain during Easter and the Holy Week for 6 days. Each day has a different commemoration, and the processions and floats are beautiful no matter the day of the Holy Week.
Palm Sunday procession
Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified. Palm Sunday is known as such because the faithful often receive palm fronds, which they use to reenact Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem. 9 brotherhoods process on Palm Sunday, each focusing on a specific historical event from Jesus’ life. The first procession starts at 10:00 am by the Brotherhood of Pollinica. The brotherhood has increased children’s participation, and their presence is a signal that Holy Week has begun.
Holy Monday
This day is for the parade of the figure of Jesus the Captive, the longest parade of Holy Week. Only six brotherhoods are processioning on Holy Monday. On Palm Sunday, they commemorate different events, amongst these are gypsies who accompany their Christ and virgin figures with song and dance as they make their way around the city centre.
Holy Tuesday
Virgen de las Penas, a parade of a throne and a religious figure with a mantle of flowers, takes place on Holy Tuesday. The virgin’s cloak is made entirely of fresh flowers from the gardeners of Malaga city. Men carrying the throne on their backs tend to pick it up higher and move it according to the rhythm of the music. There are six processions on Holy Tuesday.
Holy Wednesday
Holy Wednesday is a popular day of Holy Week when a prisoner is released. This act dates back to the 18th century. Its origin is due to the year the parade was suspended, but the prisoners decided to escape and make it themselves. They later returned to their cells; this led the king to decide to release one prisoner every year, a practice that has continued since then.
On this day, some of the oldest and most traditional brotherhoods participate in the processions. Seven brotherhoods, with 15 thrones in total, take the city’s streets. The Christ figure is accompanied by a pardoned prisoner recently released from prison in the processions. There are seven processions on Holy Wednesday.
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday is the day for the Parade of Legionaries. They land in the port of Malaga and are part of a procession through the city streets. Some of the most popular and historical brotherhoods participate in Maundy Thursday processions, and eight brotherhoods join on this day.
Brotherhood of the Holy Supper (Hermandad de la Sagrada Cena) carries one of the heaviest thrones of Christ of the Holy Week, where the first throne represents the Last Supper of Jesus with his apostles and the second the Virgin of Peace. Christ of the True Cross (Cristo de la Vera Cruz) is the oldest brotherhood in the city, dating to the 16th century. It’s a silent procession, the last of the night, that is a unique feature of the festivities. Eight brotherhoods are marching on Maundy Thursday.
Good Friday
All processions during Good Friday are solemn and mostly silent. Good Friday is the day for the official town hall brotherhood and the religious figure, the Virgen de los Dolores. The Virgin of Dolores is a work of Fernando Ortiz of the 18th century and is carried on the smallest throne of Holy Week. The lights of the city fade off as the throne passes by. There are eight processions taking place on Good Friday.
Easter Sunday
The procession of the Resurrection of Jesus and the Virgin Queen of Heaven is the last procession of Holy Week. The Brotherhood Association organises this procession, and all the brotherhoods attend. The floats depict the meeting of Jesus and his Mother after He had been raised from the dead. Their presence signals the end of Holy Week celebrations in this city. The black and purple gowns are replaced by white and green for the Sunday of Resurrection procession.
There are no processions on Saturday.
The Semana Santa celebration in 2025 starts on April 13 and ends on April 20th. If you have a few days to spare or want to take a break from the Holy Week celebrations, why not take a trip to Cordoba, once the world’s largest city and a rival of Constantinople?
Where to stay in Malaga
A word of advice: Book flights and accommodation early. We stayed in a one-bedroom apartment, Livin4Malaga Boutique apartments. The apartment is located in Old Town Malaga, within 5-10 minutes’ walking distance to the cathedral, shopping street, and restaurants. The apartment had a small balcony, a bathroom with a shower, a spacious bedroom with a king-size bed, and a foldout couch in the living room. In the living room, it was a kitchenette corner with a fridge, cupboards, sink, and a dining table for four. The apartment was located on the third floor. There is an elevator in the building. On the rooftop terrace was a daybed, a few sunbeds, sun umbrellas, and a few high tables with high chairs. Bring your drinks and snacks and chill in the sun. Remember sunscreen!
We booked the Livin4Malaga boutique apartment through bookings.com
Bring earplugs and enjoy your stay in Malaga.
Suggestion: If you want to get away from the crowds and the noise of the processions, read my post on other things you can do in Malaga
