Portal de Totana
www.portaldetotana.com
Spring
starts with Easter. This long-standing and traditional
religious festival is vibrant and colourful and
the people of Totana expectantly await its coming
and the opportunities it affords to don hoods and
tunics and to take part in the processions or simply
to watch their passing from squares and balconies.
The bands of drums and horn players lend an air
of solemnity to the occasion. Another special feature
of Easter Week are the 'Armaos', a group
formed in the eighteenth century by 'Don Alonso
Ramón Cánovas'. This group was
initially made up of eighteen men, all from important
families of Totana, and they dressed according to
the Roman fashion, and today this same group escorts
the thrones of 'Nuestro Padre Jesús'
(Jesus Our Father) and 'El Santo Sepulcro'
(The Holy Tomb) in the procession which takes place
on the night of Good Friday. Totana takes on an
air of special beauty during these spring days and
it makes a splendid setting for the numerous processions
that take place during the week. A great many of
the inhabitants of Totana take part in the Easter
celebrations, there are sixteen brotherhoods, some
of which date back to the eighteenth century, with
more than 3000 members in all, of which 390 are
female. These women belong to 'Nuestra Señora
de la Esperanza' (Our Lady of Hope) and they
take part in the Silent Procession on the Wednesday
before Easter arrayed in the Español mantilla and
scapular and they carry a rosary and a short staff.
Also dating back many years are the processions
which take place on the Thursday before Easter and
Good Friday. The brotherhoods carry adorned thrones
and images such as that of 'Nuestra Señora
de los Dolores' (Our Lady of Sorrow) which
has a beautiful robe embroidered in gold and is
accompanied by a marching band made up of violins,
wind and percussion instruments. The standards,
some of which are extremely old, are carried before
the thrones and they lend a splash of colour to
the proceedings. The festivities in Totana come
to an end on Easter Sunday, with an emotive procession
which depicts the Resurrection.
These festivals have been declared of 'Interés
Turístico Regional' (of special interest
to visitors to the region).
Source: Totana.net
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