Robert HardingDuring Holy Week in Spain, Catholic brotherhoods take to the streets to perform solemn processions, often dressed in striking (and quite scary-looking) robes with hoods, originating from medieval penitents’ costumes. These processions dominate the streets of almost every Spanish town during the last week of Lent.
Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations, Malaga, Andalucia, Spain (Gavin Hellier/Robert Harding)
Procesion de Las Turbas, Semana Santa, Cuenca, La Mancha (age fotostock/Robert Harding)
Malaga – Members of a brotherhood strain to carry a float (Rob Cousins/Robert Harding)
Penitents during Holy Week, Palma de Majorca, Majorca, Balearic Islands (imageBROKER/Robert Harding)
Procession of the brotherhood Lignum Crucis, historic centre of La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands (LOOK/Robert Harding)
Semana Santa procession, Sevilla, Andalusia (LOOK/Robert Harding)
Banners held in a procession in Malaga (Rob Cousins/Robert Harding)
Hoods during Holy Week, Palma de Majorca, Majorca, Balearic Islands (imageBROKER/Robert Harding)
Smoking candles held during a procession, Malaga (Rob Cousins/Robert Harding)
Penitents during Semana Santa on a rainy street, Seville, Andalusia (Stuart Black/Robert Harding)
See more photos of Spain’s Holy Week here