Semana Santa

Hundreds of tourists fill the streets of Malaga as Easter approaches. As a Christian Palestinian, it is hard for me to be thousands of miles away from my family during the annual festivities of the holy week . While being exposed to a new culture and its celebrations is out of my comfort zone, I have found more beauty and grace in the Spanish culture that make me appreciate this opportunity even more.

My name is Jiana Isead, I was born and raised in one of the holiest places in the world: Bethlehem. I am a psychology student in Birzeit University, and I am currently on an exchange in Malaga. It was quite shocking for me to see how differently Easter is celebrated in Malaga, which encouraged me to write a post pointing out some of these differences.

The smell of date stuffed cookies fills the houses of my town on Easter day. Churches are filled with hundreds of faithful Christians from all around the world, seeking to find forgiveness from Jesus and to be embraced by the land his spirit once occupied.

The holy fire reflecting from the grave of Jesus Christ lights the corners of the church of the holy sepulcher in Jerusalem the day before Easter day of orthodox Christians. Hundreds of Christians from all over the world fill the church, and families come together in celebration. However, it is different for Christian Palestinians, as a special permission needs to be given to us from the Israeli authorities in order for us to go there.


The sound of the marching bands echoes in the streets of Malaga and Bethlehem alike. However, the music and performances are very different. In Palestine, each church has its own marching band and scouts, who perform separately.

On Palm Sunday, Jesus Christ walked through the streets of Jerusalem. He was welcomed with palm branches. We sanctify the spirit of Jesus Christ by those branches and marches around the town.

The celebrations of the holy week continue for a week, until Easter day where families get together all day, to eat boiled eggs and spend the holiday with the people closest to us. After 40 days of fasting, big feasts are served for the old and the young.  Afterwards, we head to the streets to watch the marching bands and light candles.

Although it breaks my heart to spend the holidays away from my parents for the first time, I am looking forward to experiencing Semana Santa in Spain. I am certain that it will be a very spiritual experience that will bring me closer to my faith.