Holy Week in Linares

Description

The Bandas de Cabecera (lead bands) are a distinctive feature that led, in 1998, to Holy Week in Linares being declared of National Tourist Interest.

Every year, on the first full moon of spring, Linares dresses itself in the Passion, Death and Resurrection.

Since time immemorial, the city has celebrated its Holy Week in a very special way; from Ash Wednesday onwards, the strong sense of brotherhood can be felt in every corner, with a wide range of activities such as exhibitions, band competitions, brotherhood gatherings and opening addresses.

Alongside this comes the popular sentiment that reaches its peak with the emotional impact of "la saeta", a simple form of singing capable of expressing feelings in their purest form.

Many brotherhoods work throughout the year to turn the city into an unforgettable place, filled with the scent of incense and wax as their Nazarenos, costaleros and horquilleros pass by. Moving moments are experienced every year during this week, when faith and devotion can be felt throughout the city's streets, showcasing religious carvings by prestigious sculptors such as Palma Burgos or Víctor de los Ríos.

Worth highlighting is the night from Holy Thursday to Good Friday, when Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, María Santísima del Mayor Dolor and San Juan Evangelista process. For centuries, Jesús Nazareno has blessed his people, as well as the fields, so that they might bear the expected fruit and yield an abundant harvest. He gives three blessings: on setting out, at the town hall in Linares, and on returning to the church.