You should know that Granada has some really awesome music festivals throughout the year. In fact, there are festivals going on in the streets of Granada pretty much all year round. You might consider timing your trip to coincide with a celebration or whatnot, but otherwise you have pretty good chances of roaming the crowded streets during a festival anyway.
Besides the free Dragon Fest techno music and dance festival, which is located up a quarry and old dried out river bed, or the popular Rocket Music Festival, Granada is home to some very old celebratory traditions. You’ll melt when you finally get to behold the beautiful processions that Granada is so famous for.
You should mark Easter down on your calendar as the time to arrive. In Spain it’s Semana Santa, and the city explodes into solemn life during the whole Holy Week. It’s solemn mainly for the processions that wind their way through the streets, awing spectators.
All in all you’ll have the opportunity to observe 32 different groups, called cofradia brotherhoods, navigate the beautiful streets of the city with their statues. You should observe with respect as the procession passes. The men bear the whole weight of their statues on their backs for hours at a time. It’s really a measure of devotion that in this day and age seems hard to find!
The statues are usually of Christ’s Passion and Mary’s weeping. You’ll be even more surprised by the fact that the marchers are barefoot. Also, don’t be shocked if you’re from the States and happen to misinterpret the tall pointy white hoods of the full-body robes: this has been a traditional garment longer than the United States has been a country!
There are dozens of processions to appreciate, many bars in festival mode, the plazas are crowded and everyone is generally in a happy mood. So think twice before deciding on any ole date on the calendar, go in Holy Week in March or April!
December 14, 2011
Granada