Holy week Getaway in Tudela to enjoy many activities
Holy week Getaway in Tudela to enjoy many activities

Staying some days in Tudela this Holy week is one of the best decisions you can make if what do you want is to visit a place full of tradition, culture, and faith. Besides the enchants of the city with the Cathedral, The Palace of the Marquis, and the medieval Bridge or Fueros Square, in Holy week you can’t miss the traditional Ceremonias del Ángel and Volantin. They belong, by their own right, to Tudela’s culture from the 14th-century. Are so important that in February 2002 it was declared Festivity of National Touristic Interest

In this blog post, we invite you to visit Tudela, to stroll its streets on these days marked by the faith, the steps, and the strong sound of the drums are the rhythm for the silent faithful and penitents. From Hotel Santamaría you can move through the city in an agile and comfortable way thanks to its privileged location. A few metres you can get to the historic centre, museums, the Jewish route, access to the green path of Tarazonica, train station and bus stops, theatres, and all that you need during your days in Navarra.

Tudela is a whole adventure to discover during the Holy Week

All the Holy Week ceremonies weren’t celebrated like today, neither at the same places, but remain their naivety, their religious meaning, and the popular essence. So, the Holy Saturday at 10 in the morning, the Volantin, a kind of puppet articulated of wooden, ridiculously dressed and with a firecracker in the mouth appears in the balcony of Casa del Reloj at Plaza Los Fueros. Then, the puppet start frenetic movements and dance. The explosion of the firecracker on the nose gives chance to the popular festivity. The puppet is moved from right to leave until loses his clothes. That is how is staged the death of Judas Iscariot for his betrayal of Christ.

As old as the Volantín, is la bajada del Angel, called like that because a kid, dressed as an angel is suspended in a rope it is carried by means of a winch through the Plaza de los Fueros until reaching the image of the Virgin carried in procession. The head of the Virgin has a black veil as a symbol of the sadness of the death of her son, Jesus Christ. The tradition tells that the angels takes out her veil as a sign of happiness because of the resurrection of Christ, saying “get happy María because your son has risen”.

Beyond the exclusively religious acts that are all over the city during the Holy Week, Tudela counts on historic buildings from the 9th-century like the Cathedral of Tudela, the Montreal Tower, the Bridge over the Ebro river, and the Jewish quarter, a time when the city was originated. In front of the Cathedral, at one end of Plaza Vieja, there is Tudela’s city hall, a historic building from 1490. The Plaza Nueva or Los Fueros are magnificent examples of urbanism from the 17th century, following the constructive example of the baroque Spanish squares.

Located in the heart of Navarra, the municipality has a privileged location to visit cities, towns, and natural areas in the surroundings. Bardenas Reales is a semidesertic Natural Park 20 minutes from Tudela, there are rock formations that have become very popular. Olite is a medieval town located 30 minutes from Tudela and is the most touristic town of Navarra, known by held the Real Palace, the most visited monument in the area.

If you are interested to enjoy these experiences and seeing in first person the outstanding religious acts, start making your reservation at Hotel Santamaría. Days of intense emotions and beautiful landscapes await you. The hotel staff will share with you the latest novelties and trends of the city, so you can fully enjoy the Holy Week in Tudela!

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