One of the biggest events of the Alicante calendar is the annual Santa Faz procession, taking place on the second Thursday after Easter. It is a tradition that goes back 500 years and venerates an important relic housed in the monastery of Santa Faz, a piece of cloth allegedly used to wipe the sweat off Jesus’s face during the crucifixion. The day is of course a holiday in Alicante, and this year it fell on May 1st, a national holiday, which made it easier for people from other cities (like nearby Benidorm or Elche) to participate. As a result, more than 350,000 people walked in the procession, roughly equal to the total population of Alicante. The procession begins at 8 a.m. in the main cathedral of Alicante and covers the 8 km to the monastery, located in the northern suburb San Juan (just 3 km from my house) where the relic is placed outside the church and Mass is held on the square at 11. This year, I walked about half of the route to take in the atmosphere, and of course to photograph the procession.
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But I start a few days before Santa Faz, with a picture from my garden. My mother’s magic cactus, once again, is rewarding us and indicates the arrival of summer:
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On Sunday afternoon I went for a walk on the beach. It was very windy, even the seagulls had some trouble dealing with the wind:
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A few people did brave the wind:
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Then Thursday arrived and it was time for the procession. I cycled towards the centre around 7:30 and joined the procession with about 4-5 km to go. One of the major thoroughfares, Avenida de Denia, is closed to traffic on the day:
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Exiting the tunnel:
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The pilgrims come in all shapes and sizes:
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There are depictions of the stations of the cross along Avenida de Denia:
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During an 8 km walk, it is necessary to take a break from time to time:
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TV coverage:
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Two- and four-legged pilgrims:
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No particular religious content here, but a commercial opportunity:
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Three heads. No idea what they represent:
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As the morning goes on, the crowd becomes denser. People queue outside a DIY store to pick up commemorative tiles:
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The local water company, Aguas de Alicante, hands out–what else–water:
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What goes in must go out, eventually:
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The procession continues:
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Now near the monastery, people are queuing to enter to pass by the relic inside the church. The queue is several hundred meters long:
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Some people are not too bothered about the religious aspects. They just want to sit down and rest after walking 8 km:
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The pilgrims keep coming:
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There is a small pedestrian street next to the monastery, usually very quiet but not today:
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A face in the crowd:
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The same dog and human as in image 12 above, now on the square in front of the church:
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Particularly devoted pilgrims walk barefoot:
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Looking towards the church:
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A priest makes some administrative announcements to the crowd:
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Some pre-Mass entertainment:
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A chat with the cop:
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Having many thousands of potential customers concentrated in a small area attracts all manner of vendors of trinkets and other stuff:
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The local bars and restaurants were doing roaring business:
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Since Thursday was a public holiday, I had taken Friday off (this is what is referred to as “the bridge” here in Spain). I started the day with an early walk on the beach. As is the case every morning during spring and summer, the beach was being cleaned:
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Saturday morning. The wind is blowing but the air is clear:
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A sun worshipper waiting for sunrise:
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A cloudy sky enhances the sunrise:
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