Monday, April 09, 2012

Easter is now over

Sunday marked the culmination of Holy Week. After the deep sorrow of the preceding days, yesterday was about jubilation as we celebrated Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

For example, in Orihuela, just after midnight, people gathered in the Plaza de las Salesas and from there accompanied the Brotherhood of the Resurrection in celebrating the encounter between Christ and his mother. The sculptures of the Risen Saviour carved in the seventieth century and Our Lady of Sorrows carved by Francisco Salzillo in the eighteenth century represented the two figures in the encounter.

Later in the morning there was the traditional drum parade and the transfer of El Salvador Risen from the Church of Saints Justa and Rufina to the Cathedral, organized by the Brotherhood of Resurrection. Shortly afterwards the same brotherhood moved the image of Our Lady of Sorrows from the parish church of Saints Justa and Rufina to the Monastery of St. John of Penance.

Similar events took place in many towns of the area, Torrevieja, Almoradi and of course Bigastro.

One of the most unique ceremonies takes place in the villages of Molins and La Campaneta which are separated by a bridge that crosses the Segura. Molins has the image of the Blessed Sacrament and La Campaneta the Virgen de Pilar. On Easter Sunday they meet at the bridge. This year, the procession then moved on to La Campaneta for mass.

So now, all the pasos are safely restored to their keeping places and the crowds have returned to their homes. It is time to reflect on a week where rain threatened to cancel events but never actually managed it.

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