Tradition and spirituality coexist in the city during Easter Week, celebrations that most Tarragona residents experience intensely, regardless of their religious beliefs.
If the Part Alta, Tarragona´s historic centre, already exhibits charm during the rest of the year, the days of Easter Week turn it into a practically magical place of devotion, where the darkness, the sound of the Armats (armed soldiers) and the aesthetics of the floats (some by outstanding artists such as Josep Maria Jujol) are hypnotic, whatever one's religious beliefs may be.
On Palm Sunday, the various Stations of the Cross are organised by the brotherhoods and guilds that form part of the Agrupació d'Associacions de Setmana Santa de Tarragona.
The days of recollection of Holy Week culminate on Good Friday afternoon with the procession of the Holy Burial. Before the departure, the Armats collect each of the elements, church by church, one of the most typical acts of the celebration. The first documented proof of the celebration of this procession through the streets of the Part Alta (historic centre) goes back to the year 1550. Currently more than 4000 people group in 13 associations, brotherhoods and congregations and carry 20 pasos (episodes of the Passion of Christ) in this procession. The procession is preceded by the Armats who break the silence with the sound of their kettledrums.
This procession is considered as one of the most significant in the Mediterranean.
Tradition and spirituality coexist in Tarragona during Easter Week
