Semana Santa en Madrid 2025 * Easter Week in Spain

Manuel de la Tomasa
Viernes, 18 de april, 21:45 h
Balcón de la Real Casa de Correos de la Puerta del Sol, Madrid

In Spain, Easter (Semana Santa or Holy Week) is celebrated with a great deal of emotion. People take an active role in its events and traditions. All day and night the streets are filled with the beat of the drums, masses of colorful flowers, and the consummate art of religious sculpture, all combining to produce a highly moving atmosphere.

For flamenco, Holy Week is a time for saetas. It is a moment of joy, sorrow and of prayer that is made singing at the passing of the processions. In Andalusia, the tradition of singing to religious images dates back several centuries, but the flamenco version of this style is much more recent.

Balcón de la Real Casa de Correos de la Puerta del Sol, Madrid

Noted for its dramatic intensity and tragic beauty, the saeta is a type of devotional song performed during Holy Week processions in the Andalusia region of Spain, inspired by images of the suffering Christ and Virgin. It is sung during pauses in the procession, usually without accompaniment: a loud, melismatic wail of praise and lament. Sometimes such performances are planned, with a professional singer standing on a balcony; other times they are improvised by someone in the crowd, as he or she feels moved. Either way, the performances are typically quite emotional.

The saeta is part of the ‘palo seco’ singing (songs with voice only), so named because they are performed without the accompaniment of any instrument. As with other flamenco styles, the saeta has influences from Christian, Arab and Jewish culture.

This singing, which originally would be a prayer, a loud invocation addressed to the Virgin or to Jesus, has become one of the most beautiful and sensitive Andalusian songs.

Holy Week is for flamenco synonymous with saeta.

Note: These events are free as people gather in the streets to honor this Holy Week tradition.

Tags Balcón de la Real Casa de Correos de la Puerta del Sol, Easter (or Holy Week), Madrid, MANUEL DE LA TOMASA, saetas