ARCHIVED - Semana Santa in Jumilla receives official International Tourist Interest certification

The processions in Jumilla join those of Lorca, Murcia and Cartagena in the elite tourist attraction category

Isabel Oliver, the Secretary of State for Tourism in the Spanish government, officially presented the certification of the Semana Santa celebrations in Jumilla as a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest on Sunday, handing the diploma to Mayoress Juana Guardiola at a ceremony in the Teatro Vico.

Sra Oliver underlined that the award is a well-deserved one on account of the antiquity, popularity and deeply-rooted celebrations of Easter Week in Jumilla, where over the centuries the processions and other events have become one of the defining elements of the identity of the town.

There are only three other locations in the Region of Murcia where Semana Santa has acquired International Tourist Interest status, namely the cities of Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca, and Holy Week in Jumilla is now one of only 10 in the category throughout the year in the Region (the others being Carnival in Águilas, the Fiestas de la Santa Cruz in Caravaca, the Bando de la Huerta and the Entierro de la Sardina in the city of Murcia, the Festival Las Minas in Las Unión and the fiestas of the Carthagineses y Romanos in Cartagena.

The origins of the Easter Week celebrations in Jumilla lie in the 15th century, and they have grown in importance steadily since 1848. The processions begin on the Friday before Easter Week with a solemn Via Crucis and end on Easter Sunday with the procession of Jesus Resurrected.

During the week it is possible to see the artistic heritage of religious sculptures dating back to the 17th century being paraded in the streets, and other highlights include the “mantillas” (silk or lace headdresses and shawls) which are worn by the women parading in the evening of Maundy Thursday, the “Armaos” parade in historic military dress on Easter Sunday and the drumming of the “Tamborada” celebrations on Easter Saturday and the Saturday before.

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