Lent

Holy Week

In Lucena, Lent trascends its role as a simple period of liturgical preparation to become one of the most spiritually, socially and culturally significant times in the local calendar. From Ash Wednesday until the arrival of Palm Sunday, the town activates a complex network of religious servicies, rituals, gatherings, and popular expressions that transform everyday life and turn churches, streets, brotherhood houses, and artisans’ workshops into spaces of fellowship and collective memory.

During these weeks, Lucena is immersed in a distinctive atmosphere shaped by the sounds of the drum, Lenten religious worships, devotional kissing ceremonies (besamanos), the ‘via crucis’ (Stations of the Cross), the preparation of processional thrones, and the constant activity of its brotherhoods and confraternities. The preparation for Holy Week mobilises thousands of people and keep numerous traditional crafts, forms of community organisation, and practices transmitted orally from generation to generation.

Lent in Lucena constitute, ultimately, a fundamental expression of the town’s intangible heritage. A period deeply rooted in the collective identity, in which popular religiosity, heritage, tradition, and civic participation are naturally and continuously interwowen, heralding the arrival of one of the most distinctive celebrations in Andalusia..

A Calendar lived in the Streets and in the Churches

During these weeks, a sucession of religious worships and events sets the rhythm of Lent: liturgical celebrations, tridua and quinaria, ‘via crucis’ (Stations of the Cross) through the historic centre, Miserere worships, proclamations, ‘besapiés’ (devotional kissing of the feet) and ‘besamanos’ (devotional kissing of the hands). Particularly noteworthy is the setting up of devotional altars during this period, carried out by members of the various brotherhoods and confraternities, who each year take great care to present their sacred images with special aesthetic, devotional, and symbolic attention. In the days immediately preceding the start of Holy Week, visitors can also admire the processional ‘pasos’ prepared within the churches for their penitential procession, where religious administrators, ‘camareas’ (images caretakers), those responsible for floral decoration and candles, together with members of the brotherhoods and confraternities, ensure that no detail is overlooked in adorning the thrones of their sacred images.

Among the events with a distinctive characther, two ‘via crucis’ (Station of the Cross) of deep-rooted tradition stand out: the Santísimo Cristo de la Humillación (Most Hoy Christ of the Humiliation) —carried on the shoulders of women from the confraternity— and that of the Santísimo Cristo de la Salud y Misericordia (Silencio) (Most Holy Christ of Health and Mercy – Silence), considered the oldest in the town.

In the musical sphere, Miserere worships occupy a special place ―such as that of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno (Our Father Jesus the Nazarene), which is held every Friday of the year and, during Lent, features the participation of the Brotherhood of Drummers and the Choir of the Confraternity of the Blood, or that of Nuestro Padre Jesús Caído (Our Father Jesus Fallen), with the celebrated Miserere by Allegri performed by the Elí Hoshaná Chamber Choir― alongside concerts of processional marches and recitals of ‘saetas’.

Although the calendar and specific dates change each year, the pattern remains constant: liturgy, music, formation, and outreach are interwoven to prepare both confraternity members and visitors for Holy Week

Consult the Virtual Calender

Miserere Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno (Our Father Jesus the Nazarene) – Photograph by Jesús Cañete Fernández

Via Crucis Most Holy Christ of Silence – Photograph by Jesús Cañete Fernández

Santería in Lent: The Juntas

The santería —the ritual art of carrying processional thrones on the shoulders, barefaced and to the rhythm of the drum— becomes especially prominent during Lent.. That is the moment of the juntas, during which the manijero (processional foreman) gives instructions to hiscuadrilla (crew) and refines the movement of the processional throne, with particular emphasis on the Junta Marca, which serves to equalise the height of the ‘santeros’ All of this follows the legacy of unwritten rules of respect and solemnity transmitted from generation to generation

To the rhythm of the drum —and, for certain Passion thrones, the‘torralbo’— the ‘juntas’ of the ‘santería’ are where the distinctive styles that define Lucena are practised and refined. This aesthetic code, refined over decades, turns every procession intoliving art in motion.

Although the pinnacle of the ‘santería’ is reached during Holy Week, Lent serves to reinforce its value as an item of intangible cultural heritage. Recognised as a National Asset of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural Nacional), this unique way of carrying the processional thrones —on the shoulders, barefaced, under the direction of the ‘manijero’ and to the rhythm of the drum and the ‘torralbo’— is not rehearsed: it is lived to the fullest in the very moment of the procession.

During these days, visitors become familiar with the distinctive vocabulary of this tradition ―’horquillo’, ‘varal’, ‘cuña’, ‘paseíllo’, ‘contras’…― and discover its ritual, social and symbolic character.

Open Heritage: Sacred Images, Churches and Routes

Lent is an excellent time to immerse oneself in Lucena’s heritage. The churches open their doors with religious worships and temporary devotional displays that allow visitors to admire at close quarters a body of sacred imagery of great historical and artistic value, ranging from titular images documented in the 16th and 17th centuries to contemporary works Led by local guides, thematic tours are organised to help vistors interpret this heritage, including routes dedicated to Passion imagery through chapels and churches. These initiatives provide context to the various devotions, explain their iconography, and introduce the distinctive language of the ‘santería’ to those encountering it for the first time. In addition, some Brotherhoods Houses (Casas de Hermandad) open their doors to allow visitors to discover the sacred art heritage they preserve.

Confraternity Craftsmanship and Lenten Proclamations

Lucena is also a town of artisan workshops. Around Lent, silversmiths, bronze craftmen, woodcarvers, tailors, embroiderers, and sacred-image sculptors work at full capacity: candelabra are polished, processional poles and bells are inspected, thrones are gilded, new insignia are unveiled, and restoration work is carefully completed. Some of these crafts —such as silversmithing and bronze work— enjoy international reputation,,with pieces commissioned by brotherhoods and confraternities throughout Spain and abroad. The opportunity to visit these workshops and spaces ―when open days are organised― allows visitors to gain an understanding of the material foundations of Holy Week in Lucena and to appreciate the economic and cultural value that craftsmanship brings to the confraternity tradition. Added to this is the Holy Week Proclamation, organised by the Agrupación de Cofradías of Lucena, together with the various proclamations organised by the brotherhood and confraternities themselves, a tradition that each year brings together journalists, historians, musicians, and confraternity members to proclaim, interpret, and recount Holy Week from fresh and diverse perspectives.

Devotional Kissing of the Feet (besapiés) of María Santísima de la Paz Campanitas (Our Lady of Peace Campanitas) – Photograph by Jesús Cañete Fernández

Lenten Gastronomy, Formation and Fellowship

The Lucena table also embraces the spirit of Lent. Bars, restaurants, convents, and confectioneries all play their part in this culinary tradition, in which Lenten dishes ―prepared without meat― feature prominently, alongside sweets such as ‘torrijas’, ‘pestiños’, ‘roscos’ (ring-shaped pastries) or ‘flores’ (flower-shaped pastries). It is a delicious gateway for visitors and a tangible way ofpassing on tradition within the family.

Lent is also a time for learning and formation: talks on history, liturgy, art, and heritage conservation, musical rehearsals; fellowship gathering; and charitable initiatives. A particularly distinctive feature of Lucena is the early involvement of young people. Activities organised in the Brotherhood Houses introduce the youngest members of the community to this tradition and help them become actively involved in it. This religious and devotional upbringing helps to explain both the continuity and its constant renewal.

VISITOR INFORMATION AND PRACTICAL TIPS

Check the updated calendar: although these events are held every year, dates and times vary according to the liturgical calendar and the programme of each brotherhood and confraternity.
Visit the town’s monumental and sculptural heritage: this is an ideal time to enjoy, without the usual crowds, the rich religious heritage preserved throughout Lucena.
Take advantage of the guided tours and tourist routes: they help visitors interpret the iconography, understand the movement and symbolism of the processional thrones, and place each sacred image within its historical context.
Learn more about Holy Week: explore some of the many publications that have been written about this tradition over the years.
Savour the gastronomy: Lenten dishes and traditional sweet delicacies provide the perfect complement to the experience.
Appreciate the craftsmanship: if open days are being held in the workshops, they offer a unique opportunity to see first-hand how the processional furnishing and ceremonial items are created and preserved.