Live the essence of the Passion Festivities in Catalonia 2025

The beginning of Lent is accompanied in some Catalan towns by a dramatic performance that has been performed since the Middle Ages throughout Europe: the Passions. These can usually be seen until after Easter.

The popular and traditional manifestations of the Passion Cycle include a multitude of forms, not strictly liturgical, which recall during the Holy Week celebrations the Gospel episodes referring to the public life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. The current Passions derive, in their most remote origin, from the readings of the Passion that take place on Good Friday.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Passions were more like processions with specific representations of certain scenes, a combination that is still practised in many Catalan towns. Later, with the development of secular theatre forms, they acquired a more complex structure of representations and, already in the 18th century, they became long-lasting theatrical pieces in acts, with stable texts. At this time they were consolidated as shows that were performed in the square or in large public or semi-public spaces, already intended for theatre.

Throughout Catalonia there are processions, parades of armed men or manaies, mysteries or monuments, representations of different kinds (spoken dances, tableaux or static scenes, historical recreations...) and Passions of very diverse magnitude and perspective: from the most traditional, still incorporated in processions; through to those that adopt current texts, characters and perspectives; up to the great Passions, which put on multitudinous shows in large theatres.

When will the Passion Plays be celebrated in Catalonia in 2025?

The Passion Play season in Catalonia begins on March 1, and there are various performances until May 11. Most of the Passion Plays are concentrated around Easter (from Sunday, April 13 to Sunday, April 20, 2025).

Below you will find the main Passion Festivals of Catalonia scheduled for 2025.