Holy Week in Lorca

Holy Week in Lorca, a different kind of passion

How to describe the Holy Week in Lorca: Different. Lorca is a town in Murcia that has achieved for their religious celebrations become of International Tourist Interest. However, what is so special about the Holy Week in Lorca? The Rivalry. In Lorca there are two main ‘Cofradías’ or brotherhoods; the Cofradía Blanca (the White Brotherhood) and the Cofradía Azul (The Blue Brotherhood). They are Cofradías above any other and every year compete against each other to see who is the best, the most colourful and the most glorious.

This rivalry and passion can be seen in a Baroque procession of the brotherhoods (white and blue). The whites gather around the Virgin of the Affliction, while the patron saint of the Blues is the Virgin of the Suffering. This event could well be part of a film production, where gold and silk embroidery, the horse and chariots, the huge triumphal floats all share a role to portray this religious event with characters from the Old Testament.

A biblical procession that combines the devotion of a town for its religious images and with a faithful representation of the most popular passages of the history of Christianity and converting the main Street of the Avenida Juan Carlos I into the greatest open air theatre on earth.

Such is the repercussion, that the media cover this event and the particular way in which the processions are carried out, comparing the Lorca Holy Week to the ‘Legendary times of Ben-Hur’.

An embroidered Holy Week

The embroidery seen during the Lorca Holy Week is what the ‘Fallas’ is to Valencia. An authentic work of creative art of silver, gold and silk. The creative process starts at an embroidery workshop with patterns drawn by the artistic director and ends after countless hours of work by the skilled and patient hands of expert embroiderers.

The tradition of embroidery in Lorca far from fading out is actually becoming more popular every year, having even presented its official candidacy to become part of the UNESCO Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Although the fiesta days of the Holy Week are an ideal time to visit Lorca, any time of the year is perfect to admire the fascinating and intricate embroideries. Museums such as the Paso Blanco Museum or the Museo Azul de la Semana Santa –to highlight two of the most important- are authentic temples where you can contemplate at your own leisure the amazing relics embroidered by the masters of Lorca.

Lorca is a truly amazing city which you can easily reach with your car hire from the nearby Murcia Airport.