Close to the Valencia port, there is an Easter procession that has the feel of a Fourth of July parade and an Easter pageant. While I missed the Good Friday parade because of a quick trip out of town, the Easter parade was a great consolation prize.

The parade lasted at least an hour and a half, and various groups, along with trailing bands, showed their celebration under a beautiful sky with crowds of people attending. We were on a small street near a church, and had a great view of the procession.

Some things of note: First, the caps of the penitentes have been removed. The young people carrying flowers represent Mary and the women at the tomb, and gave flowers to the crowd upon a healthy shouting of the word, “Guapa!” or “beautiful lady.” The costumes extended to the youngest participants, some of whom were in full dress, even though they were too small to walk. The elaborate costumes, headdresses, and musical arrangements of the marching band were definitely a sight to behold.

Each group’s costumes were in different brightly-colored fabrics, and Jesus made several guest appearances in the procession, too. Take that, Santa Claus!