Two years of absence. It is said soon, but for the faithful followers of Holy Week it has gotten very long. The wait is over, it shows in that effervescent desire so visible on the faces. It shows in that enthusiasm capable of infecting both lovers and detractors. More because of the former than the latter, these spanish cities they burn Instagram every year.
Holy Week is a breath of fresh air for both sides: those who want engage with devotion and for those who yearn run away desperately . Some occupy their days with processions, others with any plan that moves away from it, but They all share one word: holidays . Getaways know no taste, and if these cities attract so many flashes during the holidays, it will be for good reason.
The work of having to choose makes us Musement , the booking platform for activities at the destination. They have been responsible for collecting The 15 Spanish destinations that accumulate the most publications on Instagram during Holy Week, the 15 places that parade through the walk of fame. The undisputed protagonists? The communities of Andalusia Y Castile and Leon.
For this, this past March, the Spanish cities have been chosen with more than 100,000 inhabitants, the provincial capitals and the localities in which Holy Week has been declared National or International Tourist Interest . From then on, those hashtags that we now call hashtags have been the determinants of its popularity: #semanasantaenX, #semanasantaX and #Xsemanasanta.
We enter one of the most deeply rooted traditions of the country.
AND THE CHOSEN ARE…
The first place is as expected as it is logical, and it could not be for another destination than for Seville . With 200,678 mentions, the Andalusian capital is at the head of a list that we already knew would head. Its Holy Week is the most popular in the country , so it is not surprising that it is also on social networks.
Here, the tradition is considered of International Tourist Interest and there are not a few tourists who plan a themed trip especially for these dates. Saetas, Nazarenes, costaleros… Lovers of Holy Week will find here the pleasure of seeing almost 70 brotherhoods , processions that originated late 16th century and that have transcended over the years to turn the city into a true benchmark.
Despite the fact that the second place decreases notably in mentions, with 55,098, the position is absolutely deserved for the city of Malaga . Its Holy Week enjoys enviable popularity (also declared International Tourist Interest), and their huge thrones They've been turning heads (and posts) for years. Their structures sometimes require more than 200 people to transport them.
Grenade it is the city that receives the much deserved bronze medal. 48,995 are the mentions that its Holy Week receives, which, once again, repeats the title of International Tourist Interest. The Christ of the Gypsies is the true protagonist of a festivity to which a bonus track is added: Granada itself. And it is to contemplate the processions in its path through the hills of Sacromonte, the Albayzín or the Alhambra , add points.
And the first place goes to… Seville!
Andalusia continues to claim its irrefutable position in this tradition . This is demonstrated by the following positions in the ranking: Cordova (33,448 mentions), Cadiz (22,932 mentions), Huelva (20,735 mentions) and Jaen (16,783 mentions), in that order, are the following destinations to enter the scene, making it clear that there are no reproaches for the celebration of these festivities in the Autonomous Community.
Some of the most remarkable elements are the carvings of Córdoba, such as the The Rescued or The Asparagus ; the girls from Cadiz, like the Christ of Humility and Patience ; the magnificent mantle of Holy Mary of Sorrows , in Huelva; or the departure at dawn on Good Friday of the procession of Our Father Jesus Nazarene , in Jaen.
Stop looking, Almería is also on the list, but it will have to wait. The cities of Madrid (12,931 mentions) and Zamora (11,057 mentions). The capital can boast of its powerful tourist attraction during any time of the year, and Easter was not going to be less. Some take the opportunity to get to know the city, others to enjoy the processions, the sacred music concerts and the Tamborrada in the Plaza Mayor.
for Zamora , Holy Week is no nonsense. International Tourist Interest and Asset of Cultural Interest, it is one of the most important events in the city. Those who want to immerse themselves in Zamora traditions should know that one of the highlights of the festival is reserved for Holy Thursday, the day on which the Brotherhood of Jesús Yacente parades and the song of the Miserere is sung in the Plaza de Viriato , a mandatory stop for locals and tourists.
Malaga takes second place in popularity.
Now yes, it is the turn of Almeria (10,798 mentions) . As in the rest of Andalusia, the devotion here is also palpable in the atmosphere. The meeting of the three steps of the Brotherhood of the Nazarene in Plaza Emilio Pérez deserves mention, but if we have to talk about particularities, without a doubt the gastronomic auctions of Resurrection Sunday stand out.
Finished the top ten, the cities that complete the list are Lion (9,506 mentions), Cartagena (8,465 mentions), Saragossa (8,295 mentions), Valladolid (8,004 mentions) and Basin (7,155 mentions). This is how the main communities share prominence with Murcia, Aragón and Castilla-La Mancha.
In this religious route we will find true works of art in León, responsibility of the workshops of Juan de Juni or Gregorio Fernández ; the pleasure of listening the impeccable rhythm of the drums in Cartagena; the Castilian-Andalusian fusion in the processions of Zaragoza, mixing saetas and jotas; the emblematic carvings from the 16th and 17th centuries in Valladolid; either the mobs of Cuenca, the staging of the mockery to which Jesus was subjected on the way to the cross.
With this classification, Musement has created the perfect map for these holidays . Once we know what we are going to run into, it is easier to choose the destination according to our degree of devotion. One way or another, Holy Week becomes one more travel format , providing the opportunity to get to know, not only the city, but also one of its most important cultural features.
A Holy Week in Granada.