Samana Santa (Easter) in Navarra and Rioja

[bjorgts]

I will be in Navarra and Rioja during Easter (Samana Santa). I want to join the religious celebrations, and have tried to find out what, where and when there are special masses and processions. Not easy! If I use the Spanish names of the days combined with the names of the different cities, I have found out most of what I was looking for, but not all. And it takes hours! So now I try some questions here:
- Are there addresses where pelegrinos and other people can find information/survey on special masses and processions in Navarra and Rioja during Samana Santa?
- There are two cities on which I find nothing, Navarrete and Nájera. Does anybody know if there are processions and mass in the afternoon or evening in Navarrete on Good Friday (Viernes Santo) (or how one can find an answer)?
- Does anybody know if there are Mass on Easter Eve (late in the evening) (Vigilia Pascual) in Nájera (or how to find an answer)?
- Are there so many Spanish people on this part of the Camino this week that we can forget using the albergues and find some hostals and book on beforehand?

 

[Peter Robins]

the big processions, or at least those that I'm aware of, tend to be in the larger cities, Pamplona for instance, and probably Logrono. Not sure about Najera. There will certainly be Easter vigil masses (pretty much all churches have an evening mass on Saturdays), and also services of some sort on Good Friday. Diocesan website is at http://www.iglesiaenlarioja.org/horarios.htm - gives an email address for Navarrete church; if your Spanish is up to it, you could try emailing them.

Thursday-Sunday is a long weekend in most of Spain (Monday too in Navarra), and it's a very popular time for going away, but those who want to 'do' the Camino will head for the last stretch in Galicia, so there shouldn't be much of a problem in the east.

 

[Peter Robins]

PS Santiago archbishopric site also gives office hours http://www.archicompostela.org/Peregrin ... ahorra.htm
though that of course is ordinary days; there'll be more for Easter.
(Looks like Navarrete is an exception to my rule that all churches have a Saturday evening mass )

 

[Javier]

Semana Santa (Easter)

Good night.- For example in Pamplona.-


”. 6 de Abril.....A las 19:30 Procesión del Santo Entierro. Por la noche, Retorno de la “Dolorosa”, todo a merced de la meteorología

 

[bjorgts]

Easter

Thank you very much for useful information on the ordinary program for the churches. I think I will try to send an e-mail with my concrete questions. I have found out a lot of what is going on in Pamplona and Logroño, so I know what to see and join when I am in those cities, and even in some of the smaller cities. (I can help with som adresses if somebody else surch the same information.)

Of course the grand processions will be in the big cities, but I think that experiencing the celebration in the small cities would be a nice thing for me. (Viana has a procession that I would want to se, but probably I will not be there on that day.) A pilgrim must walk, and then one must find what is going on along the way you walk. So that´s why I am interested in Navarrete and Nájera on Friday and Saturday. For Santo Domingo de la Calzada I have found a program for the whole Easter week, but that´s the only city for which I have found that. May be one must find out when one is there. The problem for me will be the language. My Spanish is very elementary.

 

[bjorgts]

In bed 22.00?

Usually the albergues close 22.00 (or 22.30). Do they practise that even during Easter? In Logroño, for example, there will be processions until midnight on Jueves Santo, Thursday. And several places there will be Vigilia Pascual on Saturday evening beginning 22.30. If I want to join that, will I have to find a hostal because the albergues will close as usual?