Faith meets forecast: Spain’s Holy Week on rain watch

Flowers, candles, carved figures and embroidered mantles that are hundreds of years old; thousands spent on renting seats and balconies; after last year’s wash-out, people are praying for a full week of processions

Tony Bryant

Malaga

Friday, 11 April 2025, 09:46

As the most anticipated week on the Spanish calendar falls upon us once again, brotherhoods and confraternities, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of people who gather in the streets to witness this impressive Catholic spectacle, are praying that the predicted rain will not arrive. Following last year’s washout Holy Week, when many of the elaborate processions had to be cancelled, or at the very least, cut short due to downpours, most people are hoping that this year’s proceedings will be spared the same fate.

The financial blow for the brotherhoods is significant when a procession has to be cancelled, because money spent on flowers, bands and wax candles can reach as much as 20,000 euros. Many brotherhoods now protect themselves to minimise losses by taking out insurance policies popularly known as ‘antilluvias’ (anti-rain), a policy that started to take hold a few years ago among the brotherhoods of Seville and which spread to Malaga and other cities.

This insurance allows the brotherhoods to cushion part of the losses in the event of having to take the always difficult decision of not going out in procession due to the risk of rain.

Seeing as Easter has fallen later this year, and the fact that March was the wettest in several decades, the Spanish state meteorological agency (Aemet) had predicted that Semana Santa would be dry and warm. However, the specialists soon warned that it might not be as dry as previously expected. This week began with sunny skies and pleasant temperatures in many parts of Andalucía, but by Thursday the forecast hinted at isolated showers and overcast skies from this weekend.

The simple threat of rain can be enough for the brotherhoods to cancel their processions, which to the outsider (especially the British, used to braving the elements with an umbrella), can seem strange. The reason for this becomes clear, however, when one realises that many of these images and their elaborate hand-stitched gowns, and the intricately carved floats with their silver and gold trimmings, are hundreds of years old, so all measures are enforced to protect them from the elements. As one source consulted by SUR in English declared: “If Semana Santa was held in August, it would most definitely rain.”

Of course, the rain and the possibility of cancelled processions has a knock-on effect, from the confraternities that organise the itinerary and routes along which these grand spectacles will pass, to the devotees who spend the best part of the previous nine or ten months making, or repairing, the gowns and adornments of the images, and those who organise the flowers that decorate these spectacular floats.

Pomp and circumstance

The preparations for this week of ostentatious religious indulgence take place on the scale of a royal wedding, and although the British have a reputation when it comes to pomp and circumstance, the Spanish are equally as adequate when it comes to organising their Semana Santa festivities.

The organisation that goes into the arranging of the routes and closure of most roads within somewhere like Malaga city takes months of preparation and is meticulously coordinated.

Preparations for Easter began a few weeks ago in the main cities, when thousands of wooden seats and barriers began to be stacked along the ‘carrera oficial’, the main route along which all of the different processions pass. Most of these highly sought-after seats remained piled up in drenched streets last year, which is another aggravation that many foreigners might fail to fully comprehend.

Seats and balconies

Many of these seats were once owned by families and were passed down through the generations, while those that were available had to be reserved well in advance. Most councils now use a system where available passes do not go on sale until January to give everybody a fair chance, although it is still difficult to secure one. The price (between around 80 and 200 euros) will vary depending on where the seat is located: the more central to the cathedral the more expensive. One thing that those who reserve one can be certain of is that if it rains, no refund will be forthcoming, nor is it carried over to the next year. To the outsider, this might also seem a pointless exercise, as it is usually a foregone conclusion that rain will arrive at some point during Easter in Spain.

Those with an abundance of money take a risk when renting a balcony for Holy Week, a luxury which can cost anything from 1,000 euros upwards in main cities. Owners of apartments with large balconies or roof-top terraces located along the official routes can make a fortune by offering them, along with light refreshments, to families or groups of people wanting a bird’s eye view of the proceedings.

Inma, who prefers not to reveal her surname, has been offering this service to visitors for many years, although, as she points out, “if it rains, it is an act of God, so I do not offer a refund”, even though she insists that a deposit of the whole amount must be paid way in advance.

In the meantime, the devout will be keeping a close eye on the weather forecast with the hope of a little sunshine this Easter.

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