Holy Week - The best plans

Holy Week is one of the most notable celebrations in the Christian calendar. In general, throughout Spain people live with great devotion; they are days full of traditions, ceremonies and religious acts. Catalonia is no exception and the typical traditions and celebrations are followed. Barcelona is one of the most visited cities during these days because it usually enjoys a very good climate, ideal for visiting the city enjoying the sun and good weather.

Below we leave you a list of the most notable Easter holidays and all their traditions in Barcelona:

Palm Sunday - 03/24/2024

In Barcelona, Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday with the blessing of palms, palms and olive branches. Tradition states that the godmother must give her godchildren the palm, for girls, or the palmón, for boys, and on this day go to the church or parish to bless it in commemoration of the reception that the Jewish people gave to Jesus Christ at his entrance to Jerusalem.

On this day the first processions also take place:

• Burreta procession, starting from the Sant Agustí Parish at 9:45 a.m.

• Procession of the Good Death that leaves from the Parroquia Mayor de Santa Anna at 6:00 p.m.

Holy Thursday - 03/28/2024

Holy Thursday, unlike the rest of Spain, is not a holiday in Catalonia or in the Valencian Community, therefore, it is a working day like any other in which you can find all the businesses open normally.

On this day the following important events take place:

• Via Crucis de la Sangre that begins in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Pi at 9 p.m.

• The Procession and its Dance of Death, in Verges at 10 p.m.

• The Procession of Silence in Badalona at 5 p.m.

Good Friday - 03/29/2024

Good Friday is the first holiday of Holy Week in Barcelona. As we already know, these days are marked by traditions and one of the most popular is gastronomic. On this day, Christian tradition states that you cannot eat meat and, therefore, in Barcelona, what is customary to eat is cod, in all its forms and preparations, the most popular being with sanfaina or esqueixat.

To commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus, a procession is held starting in the Church of Sant Jaume at 6:30 p.m., the Good Friday Procession of the Virgin of Angustias. And, in addition, the Via Crucis is also celebrated on the Passion Facade of the Sagrada Familia from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Holy Saturday - 03/30/2024

Holy Saturday is a day of mourning and reflection for the death of Jesus Christ, for this reason there are no celebrations during the day. The only thing that takes place is the Easter Vigil at 9 p.m. in the Sagrada Familia and the Cathedral.

Easter Sunday - 03/31/2024

A day of great joy for Christians, as it commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus. This day the Easter Sunday Masses are celebrated, at 9 a.m. in the Sagrada Familia and at 10 a.m. in the Barcelona Cathedral.

Easter Monday - 04/01/2024

In Catalonia, Easter Monday ends Holy Week. It is a holiday and one of the most anticipated days for all children in which families gather to eat the Easter Mona that the godparents give to their godchildren.

Now that you know how to enjoy Holy Week in Barcelona, we leave you some of the most typical plans so that you don't miss any details.

1. Blessing the Palm on Palm Sunday

Walk through one of the Palm Fairs in the city, buy a palm and on Palm Sunday go out to any church or parish nearby to bless it.

Bouquets Fairs:

• Rambla Catalunya, between C. Aragó and C. Diputació

• In the Plaça de la Sagrada Familia, in front of the Temple

2. Decorate chocolate eggs

The El Born Chocolate Museum has already turned its Easter activities into an annual tradition . One of the workshops, designed for children and adults, is the creation and decoration of chocolate eggs. If you want to do an Easter activity as a family, it is the ideal option.

3. Eat calçots

What are calçots? It is a typical Catalan variety of onion that is eaten roasted over a fire and served with a delicious sauce called romesco or calçots sauce. It has a very typical way of eating that is difficult to explain. If you have never tried them, it is better to take advantage of these days of Easter to enjoy a good calçotada in a restaurant or with friends/family at a barbecue.

4. Buy and enjoy a nice chocolate cake

And last but not least, you can't forget to buy a nice and delicious chocolate cake. In Barcelona we have wonderful pastry chefs who prepare incredible works of art, you can find hyper-realistic figures of famous people made entirely of chocolate.