Living passions

The Holy Week is one the firmest traditions in the city of Salamanca. Actually, it is the main religious even of the capital city of the province, with its 17 religious associations that organise 22 processions and acts. The oldest processions are the Descent (el Acto del Descendimiento) and the Holy Burial of Christ (el Santo Entierro), initiated in 1615, followed by the Reunion between Christ and Saint Mary (el Encuentro), which first paraded in 1616. Salamanca Holy Week was declared Fiesta of International Tourist Interest in 2003.

During the Holy Week, other towns of the province celebrate their own rites, apart from the traditional processions. They are the "Living Passions", dramatised scenes of The Passion of Christ full of emotion and religious sentiment. On Palm Sunday, the town of Béjar hosts the Act of Passion (Auto de la Pasión), which dates back to the 15th century. The next day, the cathedral and squares of Ciudad Rodrigo become the stage for the Dialogues of the Passion and Death of Christ (Diálogos de la Pasión y Muerte). On Holy Thursday, a quivering recreation of the Nativity of Christ takes place in the atrium of the church of La Alberca.

On Holy Friday, the entire village of Serradilla del Arroyo becomes a Living Passion where numerous locals participate in a three-hour event which is one of the most important celebrations in the whole province, and which ends with an overwhelming crucifixion in the outskirts of the village.

Also on Holy Friday, the steep streets of Candelario are the venue of a special representation of the Stations of the Cross.

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