Easter Ibiza style
Despite being what many would associate as the worlds most famous disco island, religion is still alive and well in Ibiza. Living proof of this was seen this weekend, when the streets of Ibiza Town and Santa Eulalia filled with the devout and the curious as a series of religious processions took place.
It’s a time when the ‘cofradias’ of the island – brotherhoods entrusted by the church with the care of their religious statues – parade solemnly through the streets in an age old tradition that has remained virtually unchanged for centuries.
They’re accompanied by marching bands, church officials, various different groups – women wearing the traditional black lace veil, the mantilla over a high comb, the peineta, and whole phalanxes of Roman Soldiers. Bearing the heavy weight of the statues on large floats, they march mimicking the gait of Christ in shackles on the way to the cross.
Each cofradia wears a unique uniform of different coloured robes and many have a tall cone shaped hood – a capirote – to hide the suffering on their faces and to signify their penance and a yearning to be closer to heaven. The music in minor keys, their shuffling gait and their almost sinister appearance almost transports one back to Spain’s darker past. It’s really quite an experience to see!
In Ibiza town, where a new cofradia has just been inaugurated by the church authorities, the procession took place on Good Friday evening, where the old cobbled streets of Dalt Vila are the perfect setting for such an ancient tradition.
Check out the Ibiza travel website for full gallery & information on Ibiza fiestas.
