Good Friday in Tarragona today

The procession of the Santo Entierro (Holy Burial), organized by the Congregation of the Most Pure Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (founded in 1545), involves about 5,000 brethren. The sacred procession is preceded by a spectacular ceremony, which dates back to the mid-eighteenth century. At 4.30 P.M, in fact, the Armats leave the church of Nazareth for the recollida de Misteris: groups of statues depicting scenes from the Passion are collected and taken to the Plaça del Rey. The term Misteris in Catalan is one of the most common ways to indicate the pasos. The word Mysteries is the one traditionally used in Spain and Italy to name the statues or statuary groups that parade during Holy Week. This name comes from the fact that in medieval times some mystery of religion was staged or represented, and in particular the mystery of salvation. Once all the Misteri meet in Plaça del Rey, the procession departs with, at its head, the Roman cohorts, the Armats. The group of people in Roman uniform is followed by the insignia of the Congregation of the Most Pure Blood of Christ, which in turn opens the procession of 20 pasos. The wooden pageants of Tarragona all go back to the last century, since the original ones were destroyed during the Civil War. The pasos, sculptural depictions of the highlights of the Passion and Death of Christ, are carried on the shoulders of the 12 Holy Week associations in Tarragona.