Lorca at Easter -an unforgetable experience

Hi again! I've been asked by lots of people to re-start my blog about life in Spain, and I see that I haven't mentioned the astonishing spectacle of Easter week in Lorca, so here we go! Easter week in Lorca goes pretty well unnoticed by the rest of the world, because like so many unique and special things in Murcia it's simply not done for commercial gain and as such is not widely advertised.
There are numerous religious parades throughout Easter week but the most important ones take place on the Thursday, Good Friday and Saturday.
Arrive by 4 pm so you can park opposite the railway station and look at the washing spread out to dry on the balconies.

This group of centurions seem to have missed the bus!

Now go and sit in the square and soak up the atmosphere along with the locals and maybe partake of a glass of vino. If you go to the church around 7pm that is just up from the town hall in the old quarter you may be allowed to go inside to see some of the magnificent cloaks that are going to be worn in the parade.

 

 

Each cloak has been hand embroidered with gold thread and costs approx. 20,000 - 30,000 euros. They can be viewed all year round in the two embroidery museums here. One for the 'White brotherhood' and one for the 'Blue'. The white and blue brotherhoods are rival groups who vie to have the best cloaks, displays etc.

      You can also see the final touches being put to the magnificent floral displays on the religious statues which are going to be carried down the streets.



 

 

 

 

 

Out into the increasingly crowded streets again go down to the bottom of the main street where you will find the horses being made ready for the parade. They can feel the excitement too so take care not to get trampled on - especially if like myself you're occupied taking photos!

 Walk back to the church now to see the statue of Christ crucified emerge to the roars of the crowd. This incredibly heavy statue is carried by 80 men synchronised by a man with a tiny bell so that it emerges from the church just skimming the porch doorway. The noise from the crowd is incredible as people cross themselves and scream, "Viva" at the top of their lungs. Even for non catholics it is a moving and awe inspiring feat. 

 

It is carried down the streets to the accompaniment of bands playing, centurions marching, people cheering and petals being thrown from high up balconies that overlook the streets.

 

Follow the crowds through the tiny back streets - if you can't move an inch you're in the right place, and you will see the flags for each brotherhood, (Blue, White, Purple), being handed to the 'leader' from a high up flat window. This will be impressively 'gyrated' to chanting along the lines of "Our virgin's better than yours! Viva!" All in Spanish of course. The crowd will be jovial, friendly and very excited, but you may get your foot trodden on and of course it's always sensible to watch your wallet in crowded places.

 

The actual processions start about 8 p.m. you need to buy tickets in advance over the net. These cost around £30 but are well worth the money. Unless you like living dangerously I wouldn't advise sitting in the front row - I'll show you why in my next blog which will be out in a few weeks.

 

On a personal note I'm delighted to announce that my book, Danger in the Bahamas, has been published!! As well as writing this blog I also write short stories and several have won competitions and been published, including one for the Cheltenham festival of literature. 

 

Danger in the Bahamas

Becky is a naïve, young, English nurse who goes to work on an exotic Caribbean island. An island that she discovers is full of secrets and danger. She falls in love with a sexy but mysterious American, and discovers that the sharks and moray eels in the water are not the only menace.

The Mafia's influence is widespread and Becky's shocking discoveries about their operations put her life in danger.

In a gripping finale she must escape their clutches, as a hurricane threatens her existence and that of those around her. Who can she trust? Who is trying to save her and who is trying to murder her? Who will succeed?

 

I worked in the Bahamas as a nurse for two years and my experiences there inspired Danger in the Bahamas. Please let me know if you enjoy reading it. By the way the nurse isn't myself - I could never be that brave!

I'm delighted to say that it's had some great 4/5 star reviews on Amazon and several people have remarked that once they start reading it they can't put it down.

 

Danger in the Bahamas by Cathy Zelenka can be obtained all over the world via Amazon in paperback or electronic version.( It's easily downloaded from the Amazon site onto your kindle, phone or tablet but not via the Kindle ereader device, ( it's a mystery to me that after 8 emails, 2 half hours on chat and a phone call Kindle are incapable of putting this right!)