In Lower Aragón, the harder the bass or tin drum is beaten, the better, and even if bleeding hands are the result this will merely be
a sign that duty has been fulfilled. Rehearsals are held on the days leading up to the celebration in Calanda, Alcañiz, Andorra,
Híjar, La Puebla de Híjar, Samper de Calanda and other places within a well-defined radius of Teruel. Instruments have to be
tuned, caricatures made and arms toned up to cope with the tremendous ordeal ahead. However, the drum-rolls are not only confined to the Aragón
region (where they are known as tamboradas), in Mula and Moratalla (Murcia), as well as Hellín and Tobarra (Albacete), the roll
of drums signals the start of a period of mourning for the Suffering of Jesus. In Baena (Córdoba) there is a fierce competition to see who can drum fastest.
In some places there are even moving statues --perhaps the remnants of more elaborate spectacles staged in the past. When made to move at the opportune moment, they
produce euphoria amongst the crowd. This is what happens on Good Friday morning when the statue of Jesus gives a blessing in Tobarra (Albacete), and in the Parish
Church of Aledo (Murcia), on the same afternoon, there is the taking down of Jesus from the cross after the Centurion has lanced his side. At dawn on Good Friday, in
Arcos de la Frontera (Cádiz), Christ blesses the people and the fields, whilst in Peraleda de la Mata (Toledo) he falls limply to the ground when the
nails from his hands and feet are removed. In Baeza (Jaén), moving statues of Jesus, Veronica, St John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene embrace one another.
In Ocaña (Toledo), Jesus is seen to fall three times whilst Veronica wipes his face and the Virgin Mary cries, wiping her eyes with a cloth. The procession of
the Holy Burial in Bercianos de Aliste (Zamora) remains one of the most impressive of the many taking place in Holy Week. In reality the image it presents is
significantly different from that of a solitary, idyllic figure as is normally given in photographs --the road to Calvary is always packed full of cars, people and
photographers. This is the inevitable price to be paid for the mass media coverage of our feast days, and an eternal dilemma to be faced by those of us responsible for
such coverage.
The other side of the coin could be seen as the Lorca (Murcia) procession, in which a blue and a white brotherhood are in competition (this rivalry between fellow-citizens
is most common). Both groups have constructed elaborate floats, brought horses from Galicia and Andalusia, hired musicians, and paid local craftsmen for the work of
months or years on ostentatious standards, costumes, capes and robes.
In all four corners of Spain, covering the length and breadth of the country, there are thousands of processions, some of international repute, others strictly local. To describe all
these (and the religious groups responsible for their staging) would take up more pages than we can dedicate to celebrations throughout the whole year.
The different stages of the Passion of Jesus are represented in many different places in Spain, especially in Catalonia. They may take place in enclosed spaces, cordoned-off streets,
inside a church, on a theatre stage or as part of a travelling theatre-shop. Some indication of places is given in the following list: Benetúser (Valencia), Callosa de Segura
(Alicante), Chinchón (Madrid), Riogordo (Málaga), Balmaseda (Vizcaya), Villaviciosa (Asturias), Cervera (Lérida), Esparraguera (Barcelona),
Olessa de Montserrat (Barcelona), Uldecona (Tarragona), Sant Vicenç dels Horts (Barcelona) and Verges (Gerona).
Although repeatedly banned throughout history --the strongest blow being dealt perhaps by Charles III with the 1777 Royal Decree-- some of the many acts of penitence and self-abasement held in the
Middle Ages still exist today in various forms. These include the picaos (penitents) of San Vicente de la Sonsierra (Rioja), and the empalaos (individuals fastened tight to ploughs)
in Valverde de la Vera (Cáceres).
The picaos, bare-backed with their faces covered, flagellate themselves using handfuls of linen strips. In order to avoid a dangerous congestion, their backs are pricked to facilitate bleeding.
With respect to the empalaos, they cover their back, torso and arms with thick rope, and are bound to a plough beam in the form of a cross. They then pass by the stages of the Passion.
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