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In pictures: Cartagena kicks off Semana Santa with the first procession in all of Spain
Thousands of people packed the streets of Cartagena before dawn this morning to see the procession
The first procession of Holy Week in all of Spain took place in the early hours of this Friday morning, March 22, the ‘Friday of Sorrows’ in Cartagena (Murcia).
The penitential Stations of the Cross of Cristo del Socorro left around 3.30am and worked its way through the streets of the historic centre of the Spanish port city, gathering with the first light of dawn.
Thousands of residents have packed the central streets of Cartagena to see the two religious icons – the Cristo Moreno and the Virgen de la Soledad del Consuelo – being carried by to the sound of a muted drum. This is the most austere of the processions celebrated during Holy Week in Cartagena, which has been declared a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest.
It was followed by not one but two solemn Catholic masses in local churches, underscoring the religious foundations of this iconic Spanish fiesta.
The Cristo del Socorro, the work of 20th-century artist Manuel Ardil, attracts thousands of people who come out in the early hours of Cartagena. The procession retains its characteristic features from when it began decades ago, and is a great starting off point for the spellbinding, sometimes ethereal, Easter celebrations in Spain.
Images: Felipe G. Pagán / Ayuntamiento de Cartagena
