For over 10 years, Easter in Campo de Calatrava has held the title of Festivity of National Tourist Interest. The original award of this title was jointly given to 10 towns, all in the territory known as Campo de Calatrava: Aldea del Rey, Almagro, Bolaños de Calatrava, Granátula de Calatrava, Miguelturra, Pozuelo de Calatrava, Torralba de Calatrava, Valenzuela de Calatrava, Moral de Calatrava and Calzada de Calatrava.

In all of them, Easter is the largest celebration of the year, a milestone in the local residents’ lives that transcends the religious, merges with the secular and becomes a truly unique event.

The route for this Pasión Calatrava proposes a 5-day itinerary, from Holy Wednesday to Easter Sunday, due to the main activities these towns carry out. The trip offers us light and colour, music, bustling and busy streets, the traditional cuisine eaten around these dates, a rich cultural and natural heritage and the unique fervour of the celebrations.

It depends on what visitors want to see, which day and where, as all the towns offer really eye-catching processions on each of the five days.

These are the highlights:

Holy Wednesday

Torralba de Calatrava - Prayer in the Garden Procession

Calzada de Calatrava - Procession of Silence, which continues with the tradition of “honking the horn called silence,” a strange, 3-metre instrument with a rough sound.

Moral de Calatrava - ‘Dianas de los Armaos’ and the Search for Jesus.

Maundy Thursday

Aldea del Rey - The Arrest of Jesus (in the morning). Sale of Judas at 10 am, an event held at the doors of the house of Judas (Travesía de la Constitución). After the Sale, in the square, turned into the Garden of Gethsemane, the arrest at the hands of the “armaos” takes place

In Bolaños de Calatrava, the Arrest of Jesus is staged by the “armaos” (armed men) in the Chapel of the Calvary.

In Granátula de Calatrava, we can see the setting for the Arrest of Jesus in Calle Duque de la Victoria. It is a long romance with small dialogues that end with the search for Jesus by the “armaos” and the betrayal of Judas.

Good Friday

The “Sermón del Paso” procession is common to numerous towns such as Bolaños de Calatrava, Granátula de Calatrava and Valenzuela de Calatrava.

At 4 am, the Collection of the First Watch by the “armaos” of Miguelturra is noteworthy.

After finishing the procession and acts in the morning, the traditional juego de las Caras (‘Game of the Faces’) takes place, also commonly practised in all the towns along the Pasión Calatrava Route. Its leading exponent is the town of Calzada de Calatrava.

Holy Saturday

The presence of the “armaos” in most of the Calatravan towns can be enjoyed.

In Bolaños de Calatrava, the staging of The Fall takes place.

In Almagro, at around 4 pm and in the main square, the “armaos” perform the “Caracol” for the last time, an original form of marching. In the evening, women dressed in the traditional lace shawl or Almagro shawl accompany the La Soledad procession.

At night, the Vigil of the Resurrection of Miguelturra has great ethnographic value.

Easter Sunday

The processions in Pozuelo de Calatrava, Torralba de Calatrava, Calzada de Calatrava and Moral de Calatrava are noteworthy.