Easter Week in Ocaña

Other data

Like the December festivities, during Easter Week the people of Ocaña tend to dress up and delight participants with special, local dishes, which, by custom, are predominantly red meat. The churches are filled with the faithful; the main square is garlanded and filled with a great many people eagerly awaiting the different processions.

How to get there

Road transport

For more than 400 years, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, order and silence accompany the majestic processions that take to the streets of the village of Ocaña, made up of ten Brotherhoods and Orders, some of which date back to the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, with a total of 2,000 orders.

Palm Sunday, is the Official Day of the Meeting of Brotherhoods, the Gypsy Community is responsible for shouldering the icon, in a procession which has been held for many years. Participants include the entire Town Council, the different Ocañan Brotherhoods, as well as the ten Presidents of the town’s Brotherhoods of the Passion carrying palms and olive branches, symbols of the life and triumph of Christ.

In the processions on Holy Thursday and Good Friday a multitude of hooded figures, often barefoot, dragging heavy chains or crosses representing the keeping of promises. The scenes of the three falls of Jesus, Veronica who cleans his face, keeping the imprint on the cloth and the Virgin de la Soledad who cries, holding the cloth to her eyes.

In the Good Friday procession, the images are given movement and they are accompanied by the Brotherhood of Los Armados, (the Armed), so-called because they wear 16th and 17th century armour, including that which belonged to don Alonso de Ercilla.

Dates

From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Dates variable, according to liturgical calendar.

Area

Regional Tourist Interest.